About Alice
by Sidi
Summary: It's about her - Alice. A woman from 21'st century living a comfortable life of a middle class society. A pleasant life certainly, a good family, better friends, parties and outings, but starting to live is not always easy. It could get better... or worse. It depends on how you want to invest oneself into the life. [Erestor,OC]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** We all have read at some point so popular "Girl falls into ME" story. It is compelling to imagine the OC is actually you, or to symphatize with her or him. But many of the stories end up with a Mary Sue as a main character and sweet romance. I read them, oh yes, some are written brilliantly. And some I love to no end.

However, with my story, I would like to change the stereotype. I want to write something more realistic, more potent, more back to earth. It is up to you, to judge, if I have done a good job or not.

So let's start.

**21.05.2015:** Grammar editing for chapter I done by my friend Kremik. A big thank you for him as he keeps me always on my tiptoes, when it comes to plot creating and grammar.

**About Alice**  
**ARC I**

**Chapter I**

\- I -

The white plastic chair in a sterile white agency, with turquoise complements to give the environment a fresh and productive feeling, with an immaculate secretary sitting behind the desk, gave her chills. The woman, as so many before her, had long ruby nails and a false smile plastered upon her face, looking especially busy while typing away on her standard Lenovo, doubtlessly chatting on Facebook.

Why was she here, waiting for yet another interview? She felt really lost…

The typewriting stopped, emphasizing the silence in the room.

"You can go in," the secretary said and her mascara-burdened eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, her fingers restless on the keyboard. Obviously, she only waited for her to enter next door to resume her activity. And now she was sitting in another white plastic chair, opposite another well dressed middle management lackey.

"Welcome, Miss Hare." The obligatory handshake and her soft spoken reply on her slightly smiling lips; the whirlwind of well-worn questions with "Why have you applied for this position, Miss Hare?" starting and she knew all her answers, with the experience of a seasoned veteran.

"You wrote in your CV that you like reading? Is that right?" The mood softened, lost the edge of strict professionalism and the interview elapsed to its second half.

"Yes. I prefer mystery novels and literature of the 19th and 20th century." As expected, the man could only come up with Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and turned the conversation towards movie adaptations of his stories.

She didn't care anymore as she politely smiled and nodded as the manager chattered on, evidently pleased with the topic. Having finally exhausted the subject, the interview was at its end. Back in his managerial role, he amiably informed her that they would get in touch. Another handshake and she was back in the white and turquoise room, looking at another candidate sitting on the white plastic chair and the secretary once again typing away on her computer.

She exited the lobby, then the building and walked into the blinding sun...

-II-

The man, standing only few steps away from her, looked as someone who had run away from a shooting of a medieval movie. Her laughter was however short-lived as she realized something was definitely amiss; she stood no longer on the asphalt sidewalk, nor the building she exited was behind her back anymore. The the noon sun was brighter, prickling her eyes as she looked upon the bright blue skies and too green vegetation. No civilization in sight, except her in her uptight clothing.

Eventually, she was just staring with her mouth wide open.

The man stood still, unphased it seemed, and frankly she would have forgotten him, save he moved. He appeared as frightening as any genuine woodsman from the 15th century would. With a hand on the hilt of his sword, clad in worn leather tunic and dirtied boots, the stranger seemed tense as a feral cat, ready to leap.

Her first impulse was to run. However, logical reasoning persuaded her not to - albeit, he looked extremely unpleasant. It might to be due to the unwashed hair that hung in greasy strands around his face, or the dirt and sweat that streaked his brows, she couldn't tell and yet she took the last few steps forward, closing the distance between them. Feeling like a moth drawn to the flame, she tried to inspect him more closely. His mien was harsh as his brown intelligent eyes scrutinized her. Absentmindedly, she smoothed her carefully plaited hair. The stranger narrowed his eyes, seemingly irritated by her action, and loosened his grip on the sword's hilt. Yet, he didn't seem to be baffled or in any way moved by their circumstances or surroundings.

They just stood there, perusing each other. She felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze in her white blouse and black knee length dress. The tension was almost palpable in the air. Now she was really at a loss, smiling ruefully, standing only a few feet away from him.

-III-

Her breath came out shallow, in quick puffs, leaving her woefully short on oxygen. She was immensely thankful she had opted for her shoes without heels. With heels, fleeing would be virtually impossible and she had to keep running! She pushed herself with every last bit of willpower to quicken her flight.

When the man had moved closer, she hadn't expected anything, but when he had lunged for her, she had recoiled in fright, nearly stumbling backwards.

Even the lowest lice infested beggar in middle Ages would have recognized the danger and had enough wits about him to run at the first sight of that character. But then again, the 21st century hadn't prepared her for such situations. Now her fear rose, and with it a desperate feeling of futility. She felt him closing in on her, the pounding of his steps beating the leaf-covered ground.

She shouldn't have neglected her first instinct. How was it possible that she always failed so miserably when it came to judging people? It was getting old.

Her escape was suddenly halted as her satchel caught on the branches of a nearby tree. She turned without second thought to reach for it.

A mistake!

Her pursuer was only a foot away. She dodged to the left, circling a stout trunk. For a second out of sight, she lunged under the nearest bushes, crawling through them and emerging on the other side.

Another mistake!

The scrubs were too sparse to afford any kind of protection. Scrambling to her feet she once again ran for it.

The woodsman did not hesitate, and moved swiftly forward, grabbing her long hair and yanking it back. Her strands were in stark contrast with his skin, his darker sun-tanned complexion against the light of her curls. It fascinated him, but this distraction faded as quickly as it came. She lunged at his hands, clawing at them, struggling to release the hold.

She was no pliant woman. She furiously buried her fingernails into his skin, drawing blood. "Wench!" his growl startled her, and then he yanked backwards, his fist closing tightly on her scalp. She yelped in pain, redoubling her efforts to free herself, flinching against the pain.

Her struggles thrilled him. Breathing harder, he pulled her backwards. Alice stumbled along, at a loss for balance, still trying, hands clawing into his skin. She tried to regain footing, but his pull on her hair strengthened. At this moment she looked like a rabbit caught by its ears, he thought bemused, then, he kicked her feet from under her, making her fall forward. The only connection between them was her hair in his hand.

She fumed with exertion. It was ironic how she couldn't manage to scream or call for help. In movies, the damsel in distress always screamed at the top of her lungs - and here she was, unable to make a sound, grunting in her attempt to get the man off of her - his knee pressing in the small of her back, her hands pushing against the dirt.

She was trying to get herself on all fours, to gain some ground. But it was fruitless. She flailed helplessly around. Gasping and grunting like a yeasty horse, she still refused to give up.

His excitement flared even higher when the woman's buttocks rubbed against his thighs as her struggles redoubled. Soft hair in his hand, a squirming, definitely feminine body against his and her laboured grunts was something he hadn't experienced in a very long time. His libido stirred.

She froze beneath him as his erection thrust against her buttocks, her breath hitching. In that moment it was very easy to flip her around, catch her hands and bind them in front of her.

The frightened look she gave him made him to thrust forward against her pelvis again. His own pleased grunt mixed with her scared yelp. He smirked, indulging himself awhile with this little game, assessing her reactions with delight.

However, the goods weren't to be ruffled too much. What a shame! She would be just delicious, he knew it. Yet the prospect of money was more alluring… he caught himself a prize. The woodsman narrowed his eyes and came face to face with the little beast underneath him. He could see it right away, hair soft smelling of something fresh, skin pale and nearly flawless, eyes like a frightened deer.

Deciding the Gods have smiled upon him, he stood up, yanking the rope. "On your feet woman! Walk!"

-IV-

It was getting darker and they haven't stopped yet. Her face and hands- actually, all of her front - was covered in grassy man hadn't bothered with her when she had tripped upon a branch or a rock and fell; only pulling on the rope, expecting from her to quickly scramble to her feet and continue walking. Her wrists, raw from the continuous tugging, itched, but it was her least worry for a few hours now. She had gotten no water and no food since noon; feeling parched was the foremost thing she could really think of. Having missed the moment when the man in front of her stopped, she ran head on into his back.

His angered words were lost on her as the roar in her ears was not the exhaustion, but actually a nearby water source with its welcoming sound.

The man stretched his muscles. The river before them was the Mitheithel - silvery water set into rocky banks. It was refreshing to hear something else than the whistling and whining sound of rushing wind through the Arnor plains. It reminded him of someone beating a dog - not a pleasant sound at all.

They had crossed quite a distance from the forest's border. Fortunately, he recognized this river, on these banks their party had camped on several occasions when transporting goods to their base of operations.

He gazed at the woman behind him, too exhausted to try anything, scratching his stubble - in these lands no one would care.

The mountains ahead were the Ettenmoors – they were closer to the mountain range than he had expected. They would have to turn southward, down towards the lower watercourse of river Bruinen. There, under the protection of oak trees and willows, his fellow comrades gathered goods, preparing for the voyage to the south. This year's first delivery will pay off.

His attention once again turned to the woman. She was too exhausted, that was obvious, but still she had fought like a wildcat. The small wounds on his knuckles reminded him of it - such a nuisance. With a harlot like this one, complications were never too far away. It wouldn't be a waste of time to bind her properly for the night.

He led them down to the stream and she carefully picked her way, not prone to fall head down to the rushing water, only then realizing how thirsty she was. Her eyes turned to the man who was already kneeling and drinking the cold liquid. She didn't hesitate and followed his example, leaning against the bank, drinking hastily, in great gulps. It felt definitely good to ease her thirst and soothe her aching wrists. She left them in the running water and nearly tumbled into it herself, as his voice sounded from above her.

"We will stay here through the night."

This was the woodsman's first real sentence during their long march. Growling silently she pushed herself at least into a sitting position, panting like a wild animal; she wasn't sure, if she wasn't becoming one. It cost her nearly all the strength she had left to scramble back upwards the steep river bank to their encampment..

She ground her teeth together. Frightened and tired, yes, she had never been so frightened and tired in her whole life, but be damned her dignity she would be left here bound like a beast for slaughter. But facts were simple, she was sitting on the ground, her hands rubbed raw by a cord, filthy and hungry; it was nearly as bizarre as sitting on a white plastic chair in the too sterile environment of the hiring agency. This situation was just absurd, she couldn't emphasize it more. These two worlds were so far away of each other, with no common ground; yet they were somehow familiar. Pondering their vast differences would be unreasonable of course, but the fact she felt in both situations uncomfortable and ripped out of reality didn't help either.

So what was her conclusion anyway? Examining how it all happened was still beyond her. Not that she didn't understand the mechanics of abduction, really no, but she had never thought this could happen to her. And she wouldn't go for the obvious reason she hadn't been on the main street the moment she had stepped out of the hiring agency residence. Her head was still trying to comprehend these circumstances and the only thing, that was swirling in her mind, was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She would have laughed at the irony, if she had strength left for such actions.

Instead she had to turn her mind to something present and earthy that could be assessed in the immediate moment, to give the picture substance. The woodsman was dangerous - there was no denying that. Anything reckless would cost her dearly. His last show of strength was still bright in her memory, tingling with alarming clarity through her body. The question was if she dare for the bolder move or she will stay docile.

There was also the question of their whereabouts - the fact that she had no idea where she was, was to some extent frightening, she had to admit as much. If she wanted to get out of this situation, she had to confront the man. Maybe with a little bit of luck, she would discover where she was and what this was all about. What would happen to her afterwards was a different story entirely. Her head supplied very colourful images of her future existence; none of it pleasant, that she knew for sure.

In her sitting position she silently, demurely, observed the man who now sat opposite to her, fidgeting with what looked like a stone and long hunting knife, getting a fire started.

She took a deeper breath and he expectantly looked at her. It was apparent that the woman was gathering resolve. Most of the captives tried to run, beg, or even offer themselves in exchange of their freedom, but that she would like to indulge in a conversation wasn't exactly a common practice - it irked him even before she opened that mouth of hers.

"Excuse me." and he bristled even more on hearing that voice, calm, collected, with that foreign accent prominent in her every word.

"Could you possibly tell me where we are?"

He didn't bother to answer, it was beyond him why she asked about their whereabouts. She should beg, cry, sob and plead, and not engage in conversation.

"Could you tell me where we are?"

His shoulders squared. He wasn't sure what drove this woman to push him, but any other would have known when to shut up.

"It would be very helpful if you would answer to me. This one-sided conversation is tiring."

Maybe she should have seen it as a warning, but instead it made her bolder, more reckless. She didn't know what possessed her to rattle like this. It was audacious, definitely so, but she was unable to stop herself. Maybe it was from the fear of him or from the elation of finally resting, she couldn't tell, but she was seriously pushing her luck and she liked it.

"Could you cut the rope?" she blurted out. A stupid question yes but her wrists hurt.

He nearly choked. Was this woman mad? It really caught him off guard. "Do you really think I will do it?"

She considered it for a while. "No." the disappointment in her voice mingled with the evening air. But it didn't discourage her – much. She got him talking.

"Who are you? Where are we going and what do you plan with me?" she talked hastily. "My family is not involved in politics or with any celebrity. You wouldn't gain any publicity from kidnapping me. Really it would be better to...", she stopped.

The realization hit her like a lightning. They were in the middle of the nowhere. If he wanted publicity, he would arrange it otherwise, not dragging her the whole day without food through the plains of... where?

"I can pay you. How much do you want?" She wheezed. No way in hell will this happen to her - abducted by a greasy haired weirdo.

The scoundrel passed over her with his cold gaze. She was getting more and more irritating. He was considering the best way to silence her, but when she stopped talking and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, she looked so frightened he had to laugh.

He laughed even harder as she asked the stupid question about price. She would never as much money or goods as the Corsairs could provide for her.

He abruptly stopped laughing and his dark piercing eyes looked at her.

"Now shut up."

"But tell me the price." she didn't want to give up.

"I said SHUT UP."

"I can pay. We can..." She at last resolved to beg, her doe like eyes frantically scanning his face, searching for a sign of kindness.

Suddenly she lay on her back with the man atop her, his dagger against her pale throat. He deliberately pressed it into her, nicking her skin. Red blood coated the blade; the steel, now ruddy, gleamed in the setting sun. It excited him even more when the woman beneath him started to struggle. Her pupils dilated, bound hands trying to press against his chest. She was gasping for breath, his weight preventing her from inhaling properly.

"Now hear me carefully," he leaned closer; his breath searing against her face. Goosebumps immediately rose on her exposed neck. It made him smile. "You will behave and speak only when asked. Do you understand?"

She managed only to nod.

"You will obey my every order! When I say run, you will run; when I say shut up, you WILL shut up!" his words were punctuated by his squeezing hand on her throat. Her throat felt already bruised.

"And when you don't..." a pungent silence interrupted only by her frantic attempts to draw breath "there are many ways to force you to cooperate. Have I made myself clear?"

With her lids now tightly shut against tears that leaked from the corners of her eyes she nodded once again.

"GOOD!" He released her from his grip.

It was almost like an afterthought when his hand flew and backhanded her for good measure. He smirked. This would teach her some compliance – in the long run, she would benefit from this trait. That is, if she was quick to learn.

\- V -

"... move."

She moaned. After all that was he going to force her to walk again? Wasn't all his show of superior force and strength enough of reminder of who was in charge? Would he drag her through the plains in the middle of the night to prove his point?

Someone collided with her, swearing.

That captured her attention. That and the fact she felt warm as in hot day in a city.

Her eyes flew open.

The main street at summer noon was buzzing with life. She stood with her back to the entrance of the hiring agency profoundly confused. A man with piercing eyes and a scowl on his face, obviously in a foul mood was standing face to face with her barking on her something about being irritatingly bothersome as she wasn't paying attention where she was standing and what she was doing.

She had to look confused as he bristled even more and stormed away angrily.

Alice Hare watched him go, then bend to collect her scattered CVs. Her gaze still somewhat glassy.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, Here I am with a second one. Hopefully, I will manage to post one every Sunday.

**Chapter II.**

\- VI -

It was just a feeling, lingering in her, clenching her gut like an iron fist, but still driving her to quicken her step. Alice impatiently waited for the bus, clasping her satchel with nearly white knuckles. Dejectedly she hoped the driver would go faster, wishing for home, where she felt secure under the cover of familiarity.

Alice was relieved when she entered the well known housing where she had lived with her family for as long as she could remember. Their flat was spacious with 5 rooms and a cosy kitchen where they sat during their meals, chatting away all their sorrows and joys of their lives.

But this time, she hoped, her brother wouldn't be home, in fact she wished no one would be home and she could have her time to collect herself; to think over what had happened and if it wasn't just a dream although the strange feeling lingered. This wasn't good at all. Alice felt tired and stressed out. Was it reality or it was just a lapse of her mind to create such a story. Maybe she interpreted the interviewer as offensive and somehow it related to her imagination.

Even though she came to her refuge on the balcony with a steaming chamomile tea in her hands, she hadn't felt at as on purpose, there on the adjourning porch sat Andrea looking at her expectantly. "So how did it go? Any luck this time?"

Alice only shrugged and drank her tea. She wanted to be left alone.

"Aren't we talkative today." Andrea leaned closer examining her. Her good natured smiling face watched her like a hawk. Why does the woman has to be always so prying. She was too perceptive for her own good. And now she was pushing her around to get her to talk. Alice retreated into herself even more as the blond woman with too revealing shirt wouldn't let go. "Clearly, you weren't that upset when you returned from any other interview. What had happened?"

"The interview was as always bothersome. Same facades, same immaculate, red nailed secretaries and their self absorbed, condescending middle management with their friendly attitude. It annoyed the hell out of me." Alice stood abruptly "I think, I am going to yoga class. I need to clear my head."

She was inside before Andrea could tell anything. Clearly that girl was just running away from whatever had happened.

\- VII -

When she so hurriedly closed the doors on the balcony, Alice really intended to go to the yoga class. She didn't want to think of what had happened there at the entrance of the hiring agency, but it was just impossible to forget. Mostly because she felt dirty, even though her clothes were clean and her hair pristine. Her memories of what had happened were still fresh, they stayed and she shivered with her remembering every detail.

Involuntary, she once again could feel the woodman's breath upon her ear, his hands holding her down and his pelvis thrusting into her making her shudder with disgust and unchecked fear.

She didn't need yoga class.

She wanted a shower. She needed a shower. She had to have a shower right now to scrub all the dirt off of her.

In quick hurried motions she undressed letting her clothes fall to the ground and stepped into the shower. Hot water was pouring on her head, down her back and it felt so good. So good Alice closed her eyes her eyeliner running down her face.

Alice just stood under the stream for an half an hour composing herself.

It was just a hallucination. Something that her mind created under stress of another interview.

\- VIII -

The smell of burning rubber, wheels wheezed and cars thundered past her as she stood close to the motorway. Alice wondered why she always let herself to be dragged to the racings. She hated it, the air was heavy with gasoline. Engines thundered, their conversation always lost in the howl of cars howling past them.

Air smelled, the noise was deefening and all the cheering people got her uncomfortable as they pushed and pulled like a wave around her.

Honestly this time she went because she wanted to forget all the strange dreams and smells, her messed up feelings and reactions of her own body. Alice hoped this reality of something what she was not entirely fond of would ground her to here and now.

She looked at Hannah and Paul who cheered with enthusiasm. Paul took them both this time to the racings. Alice suspected he wanted to present himself in a better light - as usual.

Hannah smiled at her and started to talk.

"What?" Alice screamed..

"I said You do not look happy. You aren't really into this. Do you do..." Hannah screamed back but her last words were unhearable in the noise as another racing car whooshed past them.

No she was not doing it for him. She was doing it for herself.

Selfish? Maybe. But it was a distraction after all.

After that incident, her following weeks passed uneventfully and Alice slowly felt at ease once again and could let her irritation at a simple racings show as nothing had happened. This was one of her outlet between her routine of interviews, sending CV's and answering emails got her fully occupied.

Afterwards they sat all together. "Ooooh coffee. Finally." Alice plopped on the seat with sigh of relief. Her head hurt from the roaring of motor engines.

"And cake" Hannah dropped opposite her on the polstered rattan chair. The trials for tomorrow's finals on Hungaroring were over. Tomorrow all three will watch from the comfort of Pauls penthouse.

It was just like him, like a peacock to spread his feathers, to take them to see F1, but didn't bother to buy tickets to finals and talk about it the whole day. As if they had to appreciate him for his work time and again. Their praises afterwards felt forced and without heart. But she wouldn't comment anymore; she dared not to.

\- IX -

Alice excused herself and her brisks steps took her down the hall to the bathroom. She didn't slam the door, yet they closed with a resounding thud, emphasizing her anger. She could hear Pauls footsteps following, a quite tap, tap, tap on the expensive hand woven carpet. Alice let the water run and splashed her face.

Paul was once again his obnoxious, snobbish self with seafood and champagne prepared in his pent. What was he really thinking, she would rather eat chicken wings and drink beer, crashing with Hannah in her room and listening to her squeals of delight as they would watch the last rounds of Hungaroring. Instead they had to go to a stuck-up party at Pauls.

Why did the man still cared was beyond her. Always insisting and pushing to the point of her consent. Sometimes it was too unbearable. He needed a woman that would adore him for who he was and praise him as he desired it. She wasn't that kind of woman and still he wouldn't give up. Hannah always told her to explain herself clearly, to tell him straight away. But wasn't her denying enough? Her aloofness? Her lack of response? No she wouldn't dwell on it. He would let go sooner or later and form an attachment to another more willing, more suited for him. At least Alice hoped so.

Today, however, his idiotic perspective reached its peak, making her upset. The collision of vehicles at the start of finals was unfortunate, but mainly unexpected; all the riders were seasoned drivers with enough experience to avoid such accidents.

Six of the formulas had crashed, wheels screeching, metal bending under the strain of collision and everything was covered in the white smoke raising from the crash. All the remaining cars whooshed around them, leaving the scene behind with a running attendants and moving supportive vehicles to the rescue. A yellow flag flew high before the collision to alert the riders to slow down.

And then it came all down to a heated discussion about accidents, from it to violence, and then to war. Paul was unreasonable.

"It's TV news. Of course its all about crying and dying. What do you expect? This sells."

"Oh come on. This is not a reality show. These people are dying out there. It's happening. How could you be so casual about it." Hannah asked disbelief colouring her voice.

Paul just shrugged. "It is so, accept it. In the middle ages people enjoyed watching executions alive. It was a form of entertainment. They gathered, they talked enjoyed their time, oohed and aahed when the man cried in pain and then, when he died, they went home to have lunch. Where is the difference between then and now?"

Suzan, his flatmates girlfriend had agreed "We sit together watching news and eating dinner. I don't have any problem with it and most of the time it's interesting. Except when they start talking economics."

"Seriously? So you feel nothing? Are you so aloof to what is happening, or just you do not care, because its not happening here, at this moment, in this city? They are at war, homeless without food, refugees… they are helpless caught in the middle and you are here snug in your penthouse." Alice reeled.

"What do you expect from me? I have a Don't worry though, you have many an organization helping them out. For us here, it is good to be informed. You are sometimes so naive, that's cute." Paul had ruffled her hair and before she could rebuke him, Suzan had said thoughtfully " I would prefer more altruistic news, like learning crocheting or politicians cleaning streets or they paint fences…" she had trailed off.

They had looked at each other unsure. Then had burst out laughing.

Alice sighed, as the water cooled her face and closed her eyes for a moment to still her emotions, before making a commotion when Paul would enter the room.

\- X-

As she opened her eyes, Alice stared into the pitch black nothingness. Was it still the middle of the night? And as she moved her bound hands rubbed raw at each other.

She was up instantly. Her heart racing. What? No. Not again. Not this. She took it easy on herself these past weeks. Oh god. Alice struggled against her bonds and the roaring of the river muffled all her efforts.

Eventually she stilled. Was she losing her sense? But all her faculties worked perfectly. So what was this? Finally, she released a shaky breath into the silence. I won't cry. I won't! It was a mantra for her mind. And as she tried to forgot all about the woodsman, to survive, she forced herself to remember. It was that or being kept in dark not only literally.

Every memory, every burried feeling and fright got her closer to the present and here and now. It made her shudder, small tremors running from her spine to her arms and legs, making her shiver. She rememberd how he had slapped her, how he had molested her, executing his power over her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of demonstrating his strength on her; at least not now. If she will have any say in it - never.

Alice bit her lip. The faint physical pain was an accurate distraction from her state of mind. Squeezing harder she tried to evoke an ache that would provide her with something else to think about. It was strangely reassuring; the pain.

In the past days here, what here meant she couldn't tell,, she learned a lot of things, things that she thought she would never be in need of, never even considered she possesed. Life taught her unforgettable lessons: Do not assume people are good, trust your gut feelings and when it is needed you can endure much more than you thought you were capable of. Not that she had applied them, rather tried to forget them altogether.

These lessons were hard to learn, Alice had admitted that much to herself. But still she fought with them, with the feelings they brought up in her but mostly with the approach of acceptance of her situation. It was all too confusing to her.

Her lip broke and the few coppery droplets of warm blood filled her mouth. Her tongue automatically licked at the open cut, struggling not to burst into tears once again.

The next day came and went. They made few stops near the river. He even gave her some dried meat to chew on. Her clothes astonishingly stayed the same as from her first encounter. In a way she was immensely grateful. To walk around in her T shirt and knickers as she slept in them and walking barefoot would be another level of torture, she was positive about it.

As they stopped for the night, another matter had to be solved more urgently than to cry herself to sleep. At first the situation was slightly, then more immediately uncomfortable, as it turned outright to one not to be ignored.

But still she tried - hard.

Alice groaned in frustration. She really had to go.

She reluctantly shifted her gaze from the night sky to the woodsman. He was there, on the other side of glowing embers, soundly asleep, with his sword on his right side, confident to let her awake, bound with her wrists in front.

Earlier she tried to reach the rope with her mouth. It didn't work. The man had definitely some skills, as they came to this clearing he sat her down and went to work on her bounds. Now when she wanted to lift her hands to her mouth, it was impossible, as she could get them up only to her breast height. He also bound her ankles to her wrists with a short rope, so when her legs were stretched her hands had to be relaxed in front of her and when she was drinking, her legs had to be close to her chest. Clever, clever man.

And she stared at him and his sword.

Then she stared at the glowing embers separating them.

And stared some more.

The situation was just hilarious - to death! To death… would she be able just to grab the hilt and… and… stab? Alice imagined how she would push the blade against his pliant skin. There would be no resistance. She assumed it would be like cubing the butter. Shivers run up her spine. For her freedom… would she do it?

Once again she looked at the sleeping man and his weapon. No. She couldn't do it. Even the thought of trying was nauseating. How could she even consider such an option. She had her morals intact, she wouldn't get on the same level as he is. What was she thinking… she was an educated woman with ethical codes learned, not some animal clawing for freedom by killing another human being. This wasn't the life and death situation. At least not yet.

The call of nature was hard to ignore, so she slowly sat up on her heels, still observing the man in the reddish glow of dying embers.

He was still asleep - that was good.

Then she tried her bonds – the rope was coarse, digging into her wrists. Her hands were bound securely together; looking down, her ankles too. So how would she manage? Maybe crawl will work.

This would be fun.

They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Air smelled of fresh grass and summer's heat, but the breeze cooled the temperature to a bearable degree. But the dark behind the small circle of light was menacing, something she unconsciously felt with her whole being.

Alice slowly moved away shuffling on all fours like a toddler learning to crawl with her feet bound; balancing her weight, the distance of every slow move forward, not to let herself fall… she was bound to tumble. And as she did, with her luck she fell on a nearby stone, yelping in pain. That was it for secrecy.

The woodsman was up in an instant, watching her as she groaned on the ground few meters away from the nearby bushes. His steps were measured, strong. In few steps he was by her side, lowering himself on his shanks, grabbing her hands he pushed her to a sitting position.

Alice forgot to breathe.

„Going somewhere?" he sneered only several inches from her face.

Her eyes huge in fright, were reflected in the shining blade he held in his right hand. She squeaked as he shook her, her breath returning to her in a whoosh.

„I mu- mu- must go to..." Alice stuttered, in her stupor forgetting how to form coherent words.

„Must what?" He barked.

She jerked and squeezed her thighs together. „To piss..." Alice wheezed out. Personally she wouldn't use such a word, but she doubted he would otherwise understood. She was even surprised she could remember anything, watching the shining blade from too uncomfortable, several centimeters from her face, distance.

Absolutely unfazed with her rudeness, he laughed. Turning the hunting knife upside down, its blade shining with a skillful move he cut the ropes around her ankles. Standing her up he shoved her to the direction of trees, as she stumbled.

„If you try to run away, know, that I will kill you," his voice was calm and he looked so sure about it, she didn't try to contradict him. And Alice had only one thing in mind really, when she crouched between the huge roots - to get through this embarrassment as quickly as possible.

At last she adjusted her clothes minutes later she leaned against the tree for support, her eyes closed. She felt emotionally and physically drained. If she wanted to survive this excuse for a human being, she had to get some more sleep.

Alice turned around ready to return to her seat when something stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't tell for sure what it was, but something was amiss. She stood motionless listening, watching... that god damn gut feeling clenching her insides again.

Sky was without stars and only faint light from the moon penetrated through the grayish clouds. She felt like a deer, keeping still, taunt, ready to leap at any sudden sound or movement. Dark shadows of trees stood black and tall against the blue, the treetops whispering against the howling wind.

She sighed tiredly. Its only her imagination playing with her. Howling wind, really what is she thinking?

Howling wind…

She didn't get it at first, made few steps to the clearing spotting the woodsman standing still near the dying fire. Their eyes locked.

Howling wind.

How CAN wind howl?

How... it CAN'T.

Wolves howl.

Oh god, oh god, oh my GOD.

Wolves…

She broke into a run in god knows which direction. And then - a hard knock-down brought her back to senses as the man literally jumped her, his weight pushing her down. Alice paid no attention to him as she tried to scan the shadows and bushes under the trees, scrambling without any real success from under him.

"There is nothing, "she wheezed finally.

"Oh god I am so stupid," she laughed nervously. But her laughter died down quickly when the first pair of great white eyes with black pupils pierced the shadows. And there were few of them. Huge eyes, filled with hatred and hunger. The wolves sneered and sniffled and their low dangerous growls twisted her stomach into a tight knots.

And then she shrieked. Once, twice, the third time there was a hand around her mouth, which stifled her cry. The man, his low voice warning her, not to do it again when he would remove his hand, sat atop her.

Alice didn't know whom she feared more, the man or the wolves. She decided for the man and with a quick nod she indicated, she understood.

He released his hand from her mouth and dragged her roughly to the nearest tree. Alice didn't resist when he caught her around the waist and lifted her up on the lowest branch.

"Climb higher and stay there. You must be silent. Do you understand woman?" His voice was low and tense when he spoke to her.

"Y- Yes."

"If you climb down I will kill you myself or…" he sneered "you will make a good distraction." Alice managed to nod.

"Good." He took his dagger and cut the rope on her wrists "Now climb."

She was never good at climbing and it didn't help that her hands were for so long bound together. The first attempt was a failure. When at last her back hit the trunk in the second half of the tree she was breathless, her hands sore and trembling. But her focus was turned to the man's dark silhouette, down on the ground.

He was cast in shadows as the glowing embers haven't provided enough light. The dimness of the surroundings made everything more unclear and misleading; creating illusions, which seemed to move in the darkness. The man stood near the embers, his sword drawn and seemed to listen to the noises - the howling and horrible guttural growling of wolves. They rounded him tightening the circle around the camp step by a careful step.

Now the man looked rooted to the ground, nearly heroic in his posture, so straight and strong. Alice didn't know if she was pleased he was there or despised him for everything he had done. His face so serenely calm and concentrated suddenly twisted with horrified realization, when one of the creatures got closer. These weren't mare wolves these were wargs. They were ferocious, reckless, and frenzied. They were simply too dangerous even for him.

Alice stiffled a screem as shadows parted and one creature got into the dwindling light. Her blood run cold. The beast was three or four times larger than a wolf, with long reddish fur and paws with sharp claws. The predatory and merciless eyes looked upon the man, who stood there without moving. And then the creature opened its muzzle full of teeth to something resembling sneer. The growl was one of delight and utter pleasure when it started to circle its prey.

It wasn't like the most eccentric horror movie, the most horrific television news or the most explicit documentary about violence.

It was worse. It was all about sheer fear.

In her world the violence was present every day. Someone died, was shot, wars, illnesses and starvation.

Come on it was on TV – nothing special. It was sad, yes but not frightening.

They were not there, not present.  
Not like this.

He killed several of the beasts, his sword bloodied and remains of the furry body parts twitched around on the ground.

His breath rasped in the momentary silence.

And it was clear his strength was quickly fading. His swings were slower. He panted desperately for breath. Sweat formed on his face and he wiped it off on his sleeve. It was a mistake. The short moment of distraction, and a huge warg was on his right side dived its teeth into his flesh.

A cry of pain floated to the sky.

Alice couldn't tear her eyes from the scene below her. Her hand was pressed to her mouth to prevent her from crying out loud and the other clutched desperately smaller branch near her. Her stomach was swirling and she didn't know how long she would bear it, not to throw up.

The wargs were all around him. His right leg was torn to the bone and he fell to the ground. Blood sprayed the nearest beast and it licked its muzzle.

He screeched as another warg sank his teeth into his flesh and tore. Alice whimpered. She never thought that some creatures could be that violent.

She didn't want to see, to hear, or smell. But it was still there – around her, covering her in the horrible, terrifying stillness that followed after the man became unconscious.

She stole a look. Alice didn't know if it was from morbid curiosity or sheer fear but she dared to look down.

Under the man was a pool of blood; sticky, reddish-brown puddle that expanded with every second. She was transfixed watching it grew in size and be soaked into the soil. Even the air smelled of it. But it was the smell of death even though the man still lived and his twitching was clearly evident even in the dim light.

The sound of the ripping flesh was so brutally vivid, so…. And her musings were interrupted with one loud crack. And then there was absolute silence.

No whimpers of pain -no struggles for last breath.

The only thing that was heard was chewing of flesh, crushing of bones and soft growls of beasts.

Alice couldn't move. The sounds from under the tree had her pinned to the tree trunk. She sat with her eyes tightly closed and her hands covering her ears to stifle the noises.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hi again. Here I am with Chapter III. This one took me a while to write for the emotional turmoil Alice is having. If you have some questions or suggestions, review. See you next Sunday.

**Warning: **This chapter contains graphic violence and explicit content.

**Chapter III**

\- XI -

Shivering from cold, fervently clutching the branch with her frozen fingers, Alice for the first time in her life seriously prayed to God to save her, or at least, to not let her fall from the branch she clung to.

The night, up in the tree obscured from the view of the predators, was endless. The hours went by painfully slowly, ticking away the upcoming dawn. Never before had she been afraid of the dark as she was now - it was too noisy, a cacophony of unknown sounds all wrong. After the wolves or whatever beasts they were, had left the clearing or she hoped so they had had, the shadows came alive. Unfortunately, it wasn't the soothing clamor of traffic, barking dogs woken from their slumber, nor the footfalls and conversation of people passing by, returning to their homes after a night out. Alice wasn't expecting these noises in the wilderness, of course not, but the sound of the forest was foreign to her. All in all, it resonated somewhat different, alien in its own strange form, making her heart beat faster.

Suffocating her.

Her breaths shallow, gasping.

Silent, she had to be silent for God's sake.

Breathe in – not too loudly.

Breathe out – slowly, shakily.

Ah but foremost quietly, for the enveloping fear of being spotted by whatever predator passing by or being lured by the mayhem on the ground.

\- XII -

The majestic brass disc of the sun rose from behind the horizon, illuminating everything in its soft, warm light. Alice felt almost relieved, almost happy to be freed from the deep, dark prison of the night. She basked for a split second in its light, admiring the soft green of the leaves penetrated by the sun's rays. The deep brown of the trunk glistening with dew caught her attention beckoning her to look down.

And then she froze.

There down, on the ground laid the remains of the night's battle – everything in red and ruddy brown.

All blood from her face drained. White as a paper, her fingers tried to tighten on the slender branch above her to steady herself, but they were too unsteady and sweaty, refusing to cooperate with her brain.

Alice just sat there, her legs dangling from the branch, feeling weak and shaky as she had no other choice only to climb down and do something – unable to specify what that 'something' may be – or stay up in the tree and do nothing. Her chest contracted with a feeling she couldn't place correctly yet; it gnawed at her, suffocating her, as every move that took her closer to the ground brought with itself stronger stench.

She refused to look. Standing, her white face turned towards the tree trunk, eyes studiously gazing at the ridged surface, she refused to look around. It was enough that she had to deal with the horrifying stench; her hand covering her nose, Alice tried to breathe through her mouth, but the air she sucked in was sweet, tasting like too ripe, almost decaying, fruits.

The tightness in her chest didn't cease, if anything it constricted even more. She couldn't place it, this feeling. Her mind was on some sort of auto-pilot, commanding her to flee from here and never come back, never turn around, just run as far as she was able to. Her legs turned into jelly refused to fulfill the command, even the hand covering her nose and mouth started to tremble with an effort to stay where it was. And in this weakened state of hers, in the corner of her mind, in its dark recesses she was curios, absurdly, morbidly curious about the results of the clash between the forest predators with their sharp teeth and strong claws and the man who wielded only a medieval weapon for his protection. And even though she knew that he was dead, ripped to pieces, naught but food for the beasts, she was still inquisitive, foolishly so, as her rational part of mind tried to explain. And still…

She spun around.

Alice shivered, tremors run up and down her spine, and then her whole frame wracked violently, when she saw it whole.

Oh God. She shouldn't have done it. It was too much…

Too much…

And she was doubled over retching, violently. The yellowish liquid was running through her nose and mouth and she was gasping huge gulps of air to level her churning stomach.

Afterward she cursed, not loudly as would Hanna do, no. Alice couldn't, even if she tried to, be that loud. But curse she did. Under her breath, croaky, obscene words she could remember, cursing at first herself for the stupidity to turn around, then the whole situation she was in. It didn't help to vent her fear and the horrible guttural disgust that welled inside of her as she was unable to peel her eyes of from the scene.

The ground beneath her feet was soaked with blood. Actually, everything around her was drenched in a dark red, now a muggy brownish color - new green grass, leaves from the last year, even the trunk of the nearest tree... she quickly turned away, because on its base was a bunch of... she really did not want to know what it was. It looked like piece of chewed intestines. Her now empty stomach did a flip-flop, and once again she was doubled over, dry heaving.

She should breathe.

She should breathe – slowly.

One intake through her mouth, then slowly, so slowly, releasing the breath.

Good. It should work. It had to work.

Alice desperately tried not to think about the woodsman who lay only few feet from her. Around him, three slain wolves – she hadn't seen anything like them in her whole life. They were huge, eyes glassy, unseeing; the blood dried on their reddish fur and torn flesh, made an image that rivaled one of Salvador Dali's works. The picture presented was one of horrific disgust and too real reality.

And the fear ebbed in her, was set deep down in her gut. She did not know if she should laugh or weep it out. She could not look away; it was so obscene and amazing in the same time, that Alice could not rid herself from the image before her.

Those eyes of the dead animals drew her attention. Even in death, the eyes were full of hatred and malice. The horrific creatures, with their white, sharp, now useless fangs, were looking at her, even now, with eyes full of derision, hypnotizing.

Alice froze.

From the corner of her eye she caught signs of motion. Oh she hoped, she was imagining things. Not another… surely there's not one alive… please not…

Her head slowly turned in the direction from where she thought she had seen it.

There, on the ground laid a killed female wolf. The man's sword cut her stomach open. However, she moved again. No, not moved – the animal twitched and then again, and Alice panicked. She felt the soft hairs on her neck and arms stood up.

She looked in horror as the stomach of the she-wolf moved. And then she heard it – the sound that reminded her of bubbling and gurgling.

From the stomach of the creature slowly fresh blood dripped – or, more likely – drizzled. Was it even possible? Fresh blood from the animal, which is several hours dead? The bubbling sound was getting more intense and with it the soft stream of sticky mass, which turned into a flowing substance of intestines, excrements, and something...

Her stomach gave out as she recognized what it was – a dead puppy.

Dead puppy!

Alice turned and staggered to a nearby tree. Her frame broke and she heavily dropped to her knees for the third time. Shivering, progressing to convulsions - her whole body gave way.

She was there on her fours, a fragile frame of flesh and blood. Minutes passed in silence, the only thing that indicated passing of the time, was the sun climbing from behind the trees.

\- XIII -

Alice sat leaning against a tree trunk, exhausted. Was it still today or was it tomorrow? It felt like an age had passed from dawn. What should she do? Should she leave like that? What about the beasts or other predators around? She had no idea, where she was. The only thing she knew, she wanted to get home to mum.

With her head between her knees, she tried to calm herself. It seemed like for the hundredth time these past days. At first the… should she call it kidnapping? That man had been…

He had been… she felt like being underwater. Her thoughts were sluggish and disoriented. But the man had to know where they were. He wouldn't drag them like that through the wilds, would he?

The man had known…

Maybe he has some things to help her out. Maybe a phone? Her phone? Anything? Stupid wistful thinking idea but… what if it was true?

A morbid excitement surged in her. This was a hell of a roller-coaster, her emotions played with her. One moment she was desperate, aggravated and the next moment the only thing she could think about was the Dragon Age Origins or any other game her brother chose to play and the looting after a successful kill.

A pause and she was laughing hysterically at the idea, she would have to search the remains and belongings of the dead man. She was actually cackling with laughter, like a mad woman hoping against hope, she would wake up in her own bed, forgetting everything, wondering what a dream she had had and swearing to herself not to eat that cheesecake before sleep again.

Unfortunately, it seemed, she wouldn't wake up any time soon and as her laughter died off, as unexpectedly, as it began, her only thought left was to find the man's belongings.

The dark green material of his cloak was relatively clean, so she picked it up. Her clothes were dirty and blood covered as she crawled through the ground and remains. It will keep her warm. Warm - yes it seemed she needed it the most now, as the tremors didn't relent. And so she huddled in it and only then she opened the bag next to it.

Searching through it…

Frantically throwing out things...

Turning it upside down…

Finding nothing of importance.

Around her lay few old dirty shirts, a bottle of the disgusting water he forced her to drink yesterday and a piece of leather.

Alice actually cried.

No phone.

No map.

No food.

No water.

Nothing significant.

She cried even harder, rocking herself up and down, still clutching the leather something in her bloodied hands finally throwing the tightly bound piece at the ground. Only now noticing it was bound. The leather was bound, her watery eyes looking at it with some measure of curiosity and hope.

Alice tried to slip the binding off; undo the binding, with her nails easing the knot; using her teeth to break it, but the knot didn't relent. She needed a knife and the only one available was the dagger the woodsman had to have.

A pause.

Alice gulped and stood on her shaky legs, slowly walking in the direction where he was, the cloak getting in her way, her steps heavy and hesitant. She really didn't want to go there, to see what was left of him.

Now there were the wolves and beyond them, the corpse.

Ten steps left…

Six steps…

Four…

Reluctantly, she looked down to examine him and the need to throw up was imminent.

The smell of blood and other bodily fluids, the meat hanging in strips, and broken bones created a mass that only yesterday was a living and breathing human being. And all of a sudden Alice felt responsible somehow. She didn't understand it and had no strength left to ponder why. The feeling was there, gnawing on her and she did the only thing she was able to do. She stopped thinking, telling herself she would deal with it later. Later when she would be home, later when she would be away from this meadow, from the cadavers, away from this stench, back at home - safe.

In a haze Alice found the dagger, staggered back to the tightly bound leather and cut the knot, staring at the content. She didn't know if an hour passed by or just few minutes. It was some time later when she finally shrug herself of the stupor and tried to focus.

Alice looked with doubtfulness at the leader.

It was a map.

A map she didn't recognize, neither the continent nor the writings on it. This had to be a joke in some twisted way. Was she in some kind of video game? If she killed herself right now would she re-spawn? Or was she just crazy?. Or…

No she didn't want to spend the time pondering it here. Alice had had enough of this place. Home… didn't matter how, but she wanted to go home and sitting around wouldn't help her. She needed to find people and a city and a phone and some food and…

Alice stood and grabbed the bag, tossed in the map, the bottle, tied it, and flung it over her shoulder. She nearly forgot the dagger; Alice picked it up and hid it beneath the cloak. On the second thought, she took the string as well.

Walking through the meadow, she crossed the forest line and never looked back. Not once.

\- XI - 

The problem presented itself immediately. She didn't remember from which direction they had come, didn't know where the river was and it took her eternity to at least hear its roar in the distance.

It was past midday and Alice only now realized how hungry she was. Unfortunately, there was nothing to eat. The only edible things that she found were strawberries – at least she hoped they were strawberries, they looked like ones.

The afternoon found her hungrier than ever, tired and oh just so thirsty trying to solve the problem of where to go. She opened the map and once again attempted to understand it. The mountains were on her left hand and behind her, the river on her right hand a little bit in distance but she still heard the sound of rushing water, the forest on her left hand. But in which direction should she turn the map or in which region she was, Alice had no idea.

Too thirsty, she opted for the river and maybe tomorrow find the way around. What else was there to do anyway? The river at least would provide her with water, if anything else. Maybe she could go fishing, even though she didn't know exactly how.

What she remembered from her high school teacher's history lectures wasn't much. But what he always said and emphasized over and over again with his strong captivating voice, was that the cities were always built near the rivers for their water supplies. Somehow satisfied with her reasoning, she felt a little bit safer. She wasn't wandering without purpose, and Alice always needed a goal to get herself working.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello again my dear readers. I am here with Chapter IV. For all of you, you have stick with me till now, I want to say a big Thank You. Finally we are slowly finishing with the exposition of this story and moving forward.

I haven't found a betta reader, yet. So, if someone would be so kind to volunteer, or suggest someone, I would be greatful.

Have a nice evening and even better start to the new working week.

Here we go then.

**Chapter IV**

\- XI -

Leaning against the river bank she washed her hands, then her face and the next thing she knew, she was back at Paul's in his expensive bathroom looking at the mirror.

"What…" Alice felt a vortex of swirling emotions turning her insides to mush - dangerously quickly she got sick.

Violently.

One second she stood in front of the mirror, the next she locked the doors in a swift moment and was sitting on the toilet seat her bowls gave way in a rush of cramps leaving her doubled over clutching her knees.

What is this? Her whole body shook with violent tremors. It took all her effort to clean herself with shaking hands and get dressed. Alice felt inexplicably weak, all her strength had left her body.

A knock on the door.

What they want? Couldn't they leave her at peace for a while? She whined a pitiful high sound that she couldn't stifle. When one was out, another followed in quick successions and she broke trembling to the ground in front of the sink, her legs unable to support her.

The knock was insistent. "Alice?" Paul's voice muffled with the doors separating them called to her. "Can I come in? Are you all right?"

Alice drew a shuddering breath trying to stand or to move. She couldn't and sobbed. "I can't move," she made hiccuping frightened sounds and her body shook.

"Unlock the door Alice." Paul called to her.

"I can't" she whined and tried again to stand up.

"Open the door. There's nothing to be angry about."

Tremors were wracking her whole frame. Centimeter after centimeter she crawled to the door panting, finally able to unlock it.

And Paul was through the door, ready to give her a piece of his mind, only to find Alice with her head bowed on the cool tiles, shaking uncontrollably. Her face, when she lifted her head was tear stained. She looked at him from under her lashes helplessly, still violently shaking.

The next thing she knew, she was hoisted into his arms and carried to the nearby sofa. She heard him calling for Hana. Her head spun unable to focus she just huddled into the corner. Only later in the week, Hana would tell her, how Paul had carried her to the taxi, her form covered in one of his more expensive blankets closing the doors on both of them, as the car sped up to her home.

\- XII -

The following few days she lay in bed, unable to do more. Doctors diagnosis: exhaustion with a lament on the unhealthy young people these days. It couldn't happen in his youth. Alice only rolled her eyes when no one was looking.

At the end of the weekend she felt reasonably good, at least physically. The reality or maybe the lack of it gave her headache. How should she explain it all? She saw the man die. She even went through his corpse. And the blood, so much blood, sticking to her hands and clothes. When she was able she showered and rubbed her skin nearly raw to get rid of the feeling.

It didn't help at all.

Her dreams were full of glowing eyes, ripping flesh and not for the first time this week, she got up before the sunrise, in cold sweat. Unable to sleep she sat on the balcony, the weather was warm; another heat wave was on its way.

"Girl, you look like you've seen a ghost." Andrea cocked her head to the side, and Alice, startled, nearly fell from her chair.

"Oh god Andrea." Alice gulped in a lungful of air, steadying herself.

"So, feeling better? I heard the Hungaroring got better of you." the older woman sat down in her bright turquoise bathrobe on her polstered armchair and put down her coffee service. "Would you like some?" she gestured towards the cups.

Alice accepted, even if it meant to converse this early in the morning. Her mood for the past week was none too pleasant, so she tried to avoid unnecessary chit chat.

"Who was talking?" Alice took the mug full of steaming black coffee.

"You know, here and there."

"It was Victor, wasn't he?" She will have a word with her brother, not to stick his nose, where it didn't belong.

Andrea just shrug. "So what happened?"

"What should have happened." Alice muttered into her cup. "I collapsed on the floor of Pauls bathroom." What else should she say anyway? That she had an episode with wolves huge as horses? Or that she scrounged through the remnants of a dead man's possessions?

She still hoped that was just a hallucination of her tired mind and now, after a thorough rest, the episodes would stop. "I think I am just afraid, I won't get a job." Alice sighed.

"Don't tell me, the up class companies didn't got pass their stuck up interview middle management. Everyone thinks its an important position to work in an HR, but most of the lot behaves like a stuck up pompous asses." Andrea scoffed.

Alice wouldn't expect her to work for the bigger corporations anyway. Andrea was too independent and abhorred bigger companies, thinking they only chewed you for an expanse of short time and spat you out, as if you hadn't given them everything. Maybe… but what should she do, when free positions in sociology were few and without contacts you were left unemployed.

Alice shrugged.

And Andrea leaned closer to her, her breasts squashed against the railing. "Come on I will give you a card reading for free. Just for you." Alice caught unprepared, accepted.

\- XIII -

No.

Not again.

Noo.

What was this all about? Why was she here under the scorching sun again? How to get back? There was no pattern to her hallucinations. In helplessness she beat her hands against the wet black soil of the riverbank. Frustration coiling in her like a snake ready to choke her.

What should she do? For long moments she stared into the flowing river watching it flow.

Then with a sigh she straightened. The afternoon sun shone with relentlessness on the vast plains stretching to the distance around the river, giving her no clue, no answer to her questions.

She felt resignation creeping like a shadow into her soul and she started walking downstream

\- XIV -

The small column of smoke turned into several pillars of grayish whiffs as she slowly closed the distance to the dubious source of her salvation. To find this town nestled in the valley, where the river curved southward, was just pure luck and nothing more. At least in this, she wouldn't - mustn't fool herself.

The nature of her surroundings had changed and Alice was staggering on the outer side of what looked like a corn field. Her hand rose from its own accord to caress the grains. Stopping, she looked at the field, its light warm golden glow and the full grain swinging slightly in the breeze. And she stood there and watched how the shadows slid from the distant hills down the slopes, covering it in a darkness.

Another night in this strange hallucination of hers. What else could it be?

Beyond fields, the pathway turned into a paved road. It appeared used. The ground was trampled and carved by deep imprints of wagon wheels. There, in the distance, against the dark backdrop of the night the even darker silhouette of a wall presented itself.

Alice yawned as she stood in front of the door and fought her fatigue, trying to collect herself. Her hands were shaking and the courage and happy hopefulness she felt only seconds before fled and left only weariness in their wake.

The wall before her was solid, but it was so dark she couldn't tell from what it was made. And frankly she couldn't care less. Why should she? Finally, here before her, was a town. Strangely fortified for the 21st century but what the heck, maybe it was one of the older cities north from the capital, her imagination was painting out. She desperately hoped so; even though a nagging thought came back to her repeatedly that this wouldn't be the case. The kidnapping and the wolf attack, these visions clear, feeling real, were too surreal, too suspicious, and too strange for her liking.

And her dull sound of knocking echoed once, twice …

From the other side of the door she heard a soft shuffling of steps. Her heartbeat sped up. Oh she wished for a policeman or whoever guarded these gates and she would call home and get a decent meal, bed and shower. Yes, definitely a shower - or two. Alice could just feel the hot water running down her shoulders. And she would wash her hair and then sleep in a bed. Bed…

A window in the middle of the door opened. A pair of dark eyes looking hollow in the light of a lamp eyed her up and down, unfriendly, wary, watching. This man plastered his face on the window; his greasy hair falling in sticky strands into his eyes and the smell wafting towards her was unbearable.

Alice instinctively backed.

"What do you want?" a throaty slightly hissing voice spoke to her. "What is your business here?"

She tried to breathe through her mouth.

"What do you want? Speak up! What business brings you to Blackacre?" the gate-keeper was getting impatient.

"Sir I … " Alice took another shallow breath through her mouth. "I… I got lost and I am looking for accommodation. It is getting late…" her voice faltered. How to get through him? Oh why she couldn't just close and open her eyes and be back. What was the trigger of this imaginary visions of hers. She would bang her head on the door if she wouldn't look like a lunatic to that man on the other side of door.

"For accommodation?" he didn't understand it seemed.

"Yes for accommodation - for shelter, some inn or hotel," Alice explained tiredly, refraining from rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I got lost on the road and…" she stopped herself; else she was bound to spill her guts to the shabby looking man whose dental hygiene was with no doubt tragic.

"So lass, lost eh?" he sneered and the door swung slowly open.

A dirty face and toothless smile welcomed her as the man stepped aside beckoning for her to hurry. "Come, come lass. The door must be secured. Cannot be too careful, can we?" The gate closed behind her with a crack and clicking of the door latches. For a second she felt trapped.

"You need a bed, eh?" the man asked her still grinning and his face contorted into a curiously lascivious sneer. He was getting too close for her liking. This was getting ridiculous. What was the old geezer thinking?

Alice straightened, her face going blank. "Yes sir, I need a place to stay through the night. Can you tell me where I can find a hotel or a pub?" Her tone was polite, posture rigid, her head held high, trying to put an invisible barrier of status between the two of them. It worked on men such as Pauls friends,, surely she could get this man off of her heals.

He was grinning. "We have only two inns, lassie. Rooster Inn is at the end of this road," he pointed to the street curving left from the gate's door and took a step closer, "and The Devils Head. It is this way lass, only turn on the second street right." And he was standing next to her. She held her breath, oh God that smell was horrible. „Or you can stay with me lassie. Here..." his hands tried to sneak around her waist.

She straightened even more, her posture rigid..

"Thank you for your advice. I will be off now." And without thinking Alice fled down the street leading to the Rooster Inn, not looking back.

She never imagined a town could be so neglected. It looked derelict, without asphalt or even cobblestone roads, no infrastructure. It was like bloody middle ages in here.

She stumbled to the side, nearly hitting a cage holding a torch. „What..." Alice didn't finish as the man turned at hearing her voice. His glare plastered her to the side of a building, trying to blend with it.

What was just that? Oh please she silently begged let me go back. I want to wake up from this nightmare. For a second she shut her eyes tightly, counting to ten, opening them, nothing.

\- XV -

The sign, old and faded, welcomed her to the Rooster Inn. It would be better than to stay outside – surely! She pushed the door open...

… and nearly choked. Smoke was curling even around her ankles as she gasped for breath.

The room was small, tables crammed too close to each other with a dozen men sitting or standing around. They were greasy and unwashed; their eyes glossy from inebriation now bored into her, a predatory smile on more than one bearded face.

Alice nearly tripped over a wooden chair as she backed away from the outstretched pair of hands trying to grab her. Her heart was beating so fast she couldn't catch her breath. And she run, tripping over her own legs, holding the cloak out of its way, stopping only near the side street of the second inn, catching her breath in great gulps. This was just crazy. What was this all about? She couldn't grasp the concept of it all.

In the dark of the street she huddled into the cloak once again, covering her too bright hair with the hood. The streets around here were empty and when she thought about it, the town itself was looking empty. Houses that stood alongside the roads appeared abandoned, without lights or any signs of life.

Devil's Head was a quiet place with a yard. Or it seemed so from the outside of the street. At the right of the courtyard were the towering shadows of the stable and a barn with domestic animals chewing their hay in comfortable stalls. Somehow, these sounds were pleasant, something homely and inviting. On the other side, more centered was a double-decked house with a veranda dotted with the flickering lights of petrol lamps hanging from the billets holding the extended roof. The whole feeling was one of orderly place, if not the cleanest one, something entirely different from the previous encounter.

She looked up at the double-door entrance gate and at the green field shield, on which a head of a black dog with red eyes was painted; under it stood, in a flourished writing "The devils head".

The sign swung lightly in the chilly night air. The street was empty, illuminated only by one torch placed on the other side of the "Devils Head" sign. It was just scary, maybe scarier than outside in the woods. Alice unconsciously looked behind her then left and right to ensure no one was following her. For one night - dammit, for her whole life - she had had enough excitement. But the tightening of her chest didn't loosen up; she felt like being followed, being watched from the dark. And the memory of eyes, great white eyes with dark pupils watching, glowing under the moonlight struck her with a full force, urging her to open the door and cross the yard in brisk steps to the main building of the Devil's Head Inn.

She was out of breath when she stepped onto the veranda, hesitating. She didn't dare to live through the same experience as minutes ago in the Rooster Inn. So she huddled lower, tiptoeing to the nearest window cast in shadows, away from the lamps and peered inside through the unwashed glass, thanking silently to whomever who hadn't cared for cleaning the windows properly.

The noises coming from inside were quieter, less boisterous and the silent murmuring of deep male voices and a high, but not unpleasant laughter, which definitely belonged to a woman, filled her with warmth. Alice listened and watched, carefully peeking into the room, the voices muffled but still audible.

"They are drinking too much" a woman huffed with dislike as her guests had asked for another round. She was older, maybe around fifty, rounded with ample breasts and wide hips.

"Men, I want to close before midnight. Do you hear me, Valter?" She exclaimed to the group sitting around a huge oak table in the center of the room. As she passed the window, Alice heard a tired sigh: "I am too old for this." The landlady walked through the half-empty room to deliver the next round of beer, her lips thinning even further with displeasure.

"Oh come on Marta, it is only the third round. Nothing bad will happen!" a red cheeked, stubby, elderly man, spoke to her in a mild tone.

"Only the third round, you say? And who will help me?" her lips were pressed into a tight line. Grasping a tea towel the chubby woman tried to hit him with it; the innkeeper's round belly only shook with laughter.

"Oh come on Marta." He extended his hand tugging her down to sit on his knees. His ardent kisses to her cheeks brought her to laughing and men around the table returned to their previous conversation.

"When will the caravan from Minas Tirith come? What news from the rangers that stayed yesterday." A young man maybe in his early twenties asked in anticipation.

Valter, still embracing his wife, smiled. The caravan from Minas Tirith presented for Blackacre an opportunity for trade and cultural exchange. The inn would be packed with men, hobbits and when they would be lucky dwarfs; for the elves to come he haven't dared to hope or even wish.

More importantly, the occasion for the nearby villages to come and participate at the market opening will allow for the few coins to be earned and circulate. Maybe the caravan would leave with their goods packed and leave behind finer or rarely accessible wares. Spice... and Valter stared for a while at the table counting how much would such a pack of peppers cost.

It was a while that any of the larger caravans had passed by. The only visitors for the last two years were locals and sometimes rangers who only slipped in and out bringing scarce news from distant lands and the capital.

"The lad wants to buy a present for Beatrice." Valter looked up at last, smiling at the reddening young man as his friend in shabby clothes uttered this piece of information, chuckling.

"Hmm! When will you ask her to marry you? I think it's time to get you under the cauls, son."

"I… I will… soon…" he stuttered as he looked everywhere else except at his father.

The man laughed and patted his youngest on the shoulder.

Alice stopped listening. She grimaced, idle chatter and nothing important to go by. It wasn't the promising beginning she had hoped for. Her stomach rumbled but she refused to abandon her position under the windowsill, the main hall was still crowded for her liking for her just to pop in.

\- XVI -

She hadn't been expecting it.

And it definitely hurt as she laid sprawled on the hard wooden floor of the main chamber, the few eyes left in the room focused on her. Alice cursed the long cloak silently, scrambling to the sitting position trying to collect herself. She was the main attraction for the time being.

That would leave bruises, damn it! She examined her scratched palms, not daring to roll up her trousers with the men around, only glanced upwards when the chubby female approached her. Alice felt her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" the woman purred in her best tone of welcome, but stopped short when she recognized Alice for what she was - a woman. It wasn't common to have a young female alone in establishment like this; Alice was suddenly painfully aware of this fact. Starring from the ground she tried to come up with an appropriate excuse. It didn't help, the woman was gawking. It could be comical if not for the probability of being classified as a common tart.

She promised herself not to linger too much on all the implications such a sticker could bring about and rather start to act - else she would lose her courage or the advantage of surprise. And what a surprise it was!

From the corner of her eye she saw the few men left leaning closer to look at her, their faces showing surprise and unbridled curiosity. Of course they would eavesdrop, a new attraction in the town - and a small town at that - was always interesting.

Standing, Alice rubbed her forehead, then looked at the older woman pushing all the ridiculous thoughts aside. She was slightly smaller than the robust woman.

Alice sighed at last breaking the long uncomfortable silence. "I apologize for causing such a commotion," she started politely "but it is nearly midnight and I haven't had anywhere else to go..." Alice finished her last words in a deadpan whisper, not even needing to act her fatigue or despair as it had crashed on her fully.

The older woman seemed to compose herself at last and smiled a tentative smile, not really genuine one, but it seemed she wouldn't turn her down. Her eyes reflecting something akin pity Alice assumed she had to look really horrible then.

"It is nothing. Do not worry." the woman hesitated searching her eyes. Alice didn't dare to flinch or look elsewhere and finally after another pause she introduced herself. "I am Marta. My husband owns this inn. And you are?"

"Madam, my name is Alice Hare." She breathed the words out.

"Come then, sit here. I will bring you something and then you can tell me how you ended here." She sat her down away from the inquisitive glances of the townsfolk. And when she returned with a plate of cheese, meat and bread, placing it before her, Alice couldn't resist wolfing it down like a starved animal forgetting all her table manners.

Marta, still smiling, took the plate away. "So what happened?" she asked quietly, only for her to hear. It was clear that the old woman was not dumb at all and her act didn't fool her a bit. Alice's voice quavered slightly as she told her what happen; haltingly, considering her every word, changing the story here and there, and not letting the woman know exactly from where she came from. Not yet, and so she lied to save her own ass.

"My brother and I... we were traveling back to Minas Tiris," Alice tried to start crying or at least sobbing, but failed miserably. "... We were travelling for several weeks and the last night in the forest... it is one day travel from here..."

"Ah you mean the Troll Haws? Your brother was not too cautious, was he?" Alice blinked. "In these days... through the Troll Haws..." the woman - Marta looked disgusted.

"And as we stayed there during the night... I was so tired we were traveling non-stop from the early morning... it was entirely my fault." Alice's voice broke "They attacked us..." she shivered visibly, remembering the sounds from previous. Marta looked at her with sharp eyes, the girl was paling to almost ash gray colour as she talked.

"They attacked us... those wolves, they were huge, monstrous beasts." It seemed that Alice was now talking mostly to herself. "And my brother," she choked on the word, "told me to climb on the nearest tree and to stay there..." images fluttered back and forth through her mind and Alice this time had not to pretend anything. She whimpered, now openly crying.

The older woman was immediately by her side hugging her tightly. Alice clinged to her as if her life depended on it. "Hush child... Now you are safe. The walls are strong, no wargs will enter Blackacre.." Marta whispered to her. "Come, you need some sleep. It will refresh you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Next charakter is up. Few I finally finished it. I was afraid I won't get it out today. Now poor Alice is stuck in this awful world of Middle Earth. Poor thing.

Read, have fun and review.

**Chapter V**

\- XVII -

Vivid, surreal dreams were bathing her in sweat for weeks. Her straw filled bed wasn't a comfort anymore and even the walls of the inn couldn't ward the feeling of threat away. Alice couldn't comprehend her feelings completely. In her warm cosy life before all this, she never knew, never felt the dread of being left alone.

Alice, even though she was in the town more than five weeks, could not accept these sensations, these feelings. Was this her reality now? How could it be? When would she wake up? Was she breathing? Was she alive?

She lived her days, walking around in a dreamlike state, waiting…

No!

...expecting to wake up every second, that was it. But of course, as it is with many things, it didn't happen, she didn't wake up. Just didn't… and she was left with the bitter aftertaste of unfulfilled yearning as ugly as any desire left unattended.

First days in the inn had been a shock for her. Not only they hadn't understood her well with her quite British English, but the mentality of these people was rather medieval. The next day from her arrival to Blackacre, when she had woken up, all turned on the subject of her being a girl left travelling only with her brother who died the previous day. Going for the remains and properly burying them was obviously a must. She dared not to protest. Apparently her arrival brought the sleepy town to motion - upheaval even. A girl left alone. Irresponsible parents from a respected family sending her to Minas Tirith. Her brother killed leaving her with no protection.

She never knew from where these information arose, but she didn't attest. At that time she hadn't known Minas Tirith was a capital city of Gondor or anything else from this new world. Alice simply went with the flow, she let Marta and the villagers think what they wanted. And her life in Blackacre became more surreal and more unpleasant or at least Alice thought so. Without any plausible explanation and a world she didn't understand at all, she was left to grasp at straws, frightened that they would discover her lies.

Alice shuddered. Left with a crushing, even gnawing, feeling of uneasiness from her waking nightmare, in this early morning hours, Alice got up and slowly dressed fighting with the strings on her dress persuading herself she had to start working. That was the only thing keeping her going, her mind preoccupied with the inn business.

\- XVIII -

When the caravan arrived, it was raining. Gray clouds hovered low in the sky, water was pouring down creating a heavy curtain covering the land. Only four carts, a third from the caravans that used to arrive in better times, trailed with soaked carthorses into Blackacre.

Someone was knocking on the gate door. Alice snorted; it sounded more as if they wanted to break them down. She hurried from the main house.

"I am coming."

"**Coming..**." she called again as they didn't stop banging. It wasn't for the first time in this day, she had to hop through the puddles and mud; the caravan from Minas Tirith had arrived only this morning.

She yelped as she stepped accidentally under the badly repaired roof and the water trickled down behind her collar.

"**Yes!**" this time Alice yelled, huffing with exertion when pushing the heavy gate doors open to let the carts pass.

"What took you so long lass," a gruffly voice questioned.

"No manners, did you see that Loki?" Another one retorted in deep rasping tone.

A man smaller than she in brown coat stepped into the yard. An axe was hanging from his belt. The first thing she could see from his face was a reddish beard. It was a huge one falling to his chest. Behind him came others, these men were robust and sinewy, but smaller in the height than ordinary men. Every single one of them was bearded, their eyes small and sharp, looking from under their hoods and caps. She tried not to gap. Who are these people?

"Have you never seen a dwarf girl?"

Dwarfs? Have he actually meant it? And her eyes wandered once again to the cloaked men gauging their height and studiously contemplating their beards. Were they all over as hairy as... ugh what was she actually thinking? But really, maybe they were...

„Move! My companions want to enter as well." the dwarf on a gantry called to her.

The noise and screeching of wheels called Tom from the inn. He stood under a small roof with his typical white apron around his belly.

"Welcome, welcome master Loki. We have awaited you earlier."

The dwarf in the brown cape walked to the innkeeper and slightly bowed. "At your disposal master Tom." He clasped the hand of the older man. "Are the rooms prepared?"

"As usually, but now come. Come in all of you. The weather is awful and a good pint never harmed anyone. My grooms will take care of everything."

"Alice close the door and your mouth, else you will catch flies. Go help Marta she would need you," his voice clang through the fizzle of the rain. Tom was in his element.

\- XIX -

The inn was half empty as most of the visitors and residents retired for the night safe for the dwarfs, Tom and two men sitting near the back window. Alice yawned at the same time as Tom looked up from the conversation with Loki.

He studied her for a while. "Finish the dishes and go to sleep girl, tomorrow will be a long day. We must start preparing for the midsummer festival."

"Thank you Tom," Alice answered relieved that she can call it a night.

\- XX -

"Tom something is happening," Dwain the more bulky dwarf retorted back in a sharp voice.

„Surely, in these days everything is complicated," the slightly bitter tone of his voice was overlooked so Tom at least sighed loudly for emphasis.

„Confusing even. In Bree, Avron and in other towns and villages people saw strangers, rangers even." Thar stated quietly as he caressed his braided beard. „As I recall, from the earlier autumn last year..." and he started talking.

_The middle of Firith was rainy and cold. Mist curled its tongues around the pillars of Lake town on Long Lake. Thar's company of five dwarves stood on the main street, demurely watching how the guards frantically run between buildings their torches shimmering in the first morning light._

„_Find them."_

„_They are not here."_

„_Search the north district."_

„_Have you seen anyone suspicious on the road?" guard breathless with exertion had passed them hurrying._

„_No." Thar was able to shout behind him before he disappeared. It seemed that the whole town was in an upheaval, lights shining in windows and folk people gathering in crowds looking as frightened chicken. A child was wailing and in the cacophony of voices it sounded like a crying of a gull. „Bearded forefathers. What is happening?" his companion grunted in an apparent disgust as they pushed its way through the thickening crowd._

„_I tell you the ghosts of Long Lake took them." An elderly woman bickered impetuously._

_A younger woman crossed her hands in obvious disbelief. „Mother, don't talk nonsense. There are no such things as ghosts. Superstition I tell you."_

„_Hear me... " and Thar stopped listening turning his attention to the street. There, ahead of them in the main place was the major of the Long town standing on the second step in front of his house giving orders to the militia. Few of the men armed with bows and arrows have already disappeared on the far end possibly going to search the dark forests surrounding the Long Lake._

_Someone bumped into him. The boy was skinny and more tawny then supposed to for the region. He scrambled from the floor running away. Thar hadn't even had the opportunity to shake him a little for his carelessness. He watched as the boy reached the carts heavily loaded with sacks full of grain and sat on the gantry. Thar returned his attention back to his companions as his view was obscured by the milling crowd of still somehow angsty citizens._

_It was useless to try and talk business yet, so the company lodged in the first inn available waiting for the commotion to settle down. They were not the first ones to have the same idea as the inn was packed with merchants and townsfolk._

_The beer was cold, food good, but the mood in the inn was as much frustrated as messy was the situation in the streets. „She was pro... promising me l... lo... love and tw... tw... two days in a ro... row I can't f... find her any... anywhere." A fairly drunken man was blabbering into his ale._

_His glassy stare picked up the new arrivals as a target, directing all the frustrated dialogue to them. „Yo... you t... the... there have you see... seen my Mioa? I... I... can't f… find her, my Mioa. Yo… you know shh… she is the pre… prettiest grr… grr… girl and… and… I can't f… f… find her, my… my… " he gurgled even more inaudibly._

„... three people have disappeared in Lake town and another four in Avron by the end of Firith." Thar's low voice filled the inn and a heavy silence filled the room as every man and dwarf thought about his words.

„Two women and three men disappeared from the Bree land last month." A mans voice echoed from the far away table. The voices rose and fell, curious and frightened; a cacophony as they questioned the ranger who spoke these words. It seemed, as he and his companion crossed the land through the Bree lands, they had the latest news.

Tom was sceptical. "Our Alice and her late brother were attacked only last month by wargs. Surely not everyone who got lost was a victim of an abduction. That would be…"

"Don't try to talk me into the wargs attacking. It is nonsense." Thar grunted somewhat angrily into his beer. "My ass, it seems we are having here a greater problem. But who will deal with it?" His head jerked in the general direction of the rangers. "Them?" He looked pointedly at Tom. "Or you?"

And that was it. Their discussion dwindled and one by one they left the room with heavy hearts pondering who did these things and who will deal with them.

\- XXI -

Alice listened breathlessly, her back pressed to the wood next the open door to the main room. For the first time in a month she felt interested enough that it stirred some emotions in her. So there were others who disappeared and the two men in the corner knew the most about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** And here I am again... waa. I am happy I finished this one on time. Got stuck in the middle and had no idea how to finish it. Fortunately my muse slapped me across the face and here I am with another chapter.

**And I would like to thank ****Claribel21**** for her unwavering support. Cheers.**

Have fun. See you next week.

**Chapter VI**

\- XXII -

The morning of the market opening was unexpectedly quiet; maybe it was because of the previous night when the traders got drunk on ale, or it was just too early, Alice couldn't tell, but as she descended down the stairs to the main hall, the snoring from the room could, in her opinion, wake the dead.

Passing between the snoring dwarves she finally got to the counter and up behind the doors into the kitchen. Marta was already stoking the fire under the cauldron, the stew was just beginning to bubble. Alice in all her inexperience and confusion was unexpectedly lucky, or she told herself that every morning she woke up in a straw bed, on the first floor of the Devil's head. She still couldn't fathom, why they took her in. Surely it wasn't for her cooking skills, even though she was quite good at it back home. Maybe her pitiful state or that she was willing enough to help the innkeeper for the meager prospect of meal on the other day to serve the pouring traders helped her to find a temporary housing.

At least she was an entertainment that brought more visitors to the inn and the stories of her whereabouts and rescue got from one week to the other more exciting.

"Today we will serve the pork, stew and peas. You can start on the vegetable dish. And don't forget, boil the peas fast and cover them until they burst and then cool them down."

"Yes, I know." Alice answered dutifully.

The first time she cooked the dish was a disaster. How can be the peas that different from those that she knew? She had spoiled the whole batch of the dish earning herself the scolding and scrubbing of the floors for the entire week. The ones they used here had to be cooked twice apparently, otherwise they are crunchy and hard.

Alice cooled them down with Marta once again looming behind her overseeing. Sometimes it irked her. She had to do it exactly her way and no other way around. Mincing onions, she looked to Marta still hovering few steps away from her, for approval. Adding peas, oil, salt, sugar and saffron, she put it back on the fire.

"Good. Now, I will oversee it. Go clean the hall. We will be bursting today."

"Yes Marta." What else should she answer anyway? Alice wasn't allowed to do much; cleaning, cooking vegetable dishes and plucking the damnable, still warm, blood dripping poultry was all they allowed her to do.

\- XXIII -

Loki woke under the table to the noise of splashing water well past dawn. His companions were still deep asleep and his head throbbed with pain. But what would you do. Wedge had to be knocked out by wedge.

"Lass, another pint." he growled as he looked towards Alice.

"Isn't it too soon for drinking?" she retorted back.

The dwarf just turned to his companions leaving her to pour the ale. "Come on wake up. Dain get your ass from the floor. You should be already gone to the market." He stood astride of him, barking at the sleeping dwarf.

"If you do not move, I assure you, even your own mother won't recognize you after I am finished." He kicked the dwarf for good measure.

Taking the pint from Alice's hand, he gulped down it's content. "Another one, lass." She complied as he growled and yanked at his companions to get them upright. Another beer in hand, generously full, Loki spilled in his vigour its content to the floor cursing.

One of the dwarves dragged himself to the nearest corner and pissed grunting in satisfaction. A puddle formed on the wooden floor and Alice stood in horror behind the bar, wet rag forgotten as it slipped to the floor with a splash. "**Out… get out to do your business." **she screeched. Or she should go, as the dwarf turned still grasping his meat.

Paling, she was halfway out, when Marta showed up.

"What is this for a ruckus?" she swept the room knowingly spotting Gnail with his hand in his trousers tucking himself in. Looking at Alice, she patted her and turned towards the kitchen. "Don't forget to clean the floors as well."

"Don't make faces, lassie. You saw a man's tool, haven't you?" Loki flashed her a wolfish smile.

"Get me a beer, lass." Gnail called to her adjusting his trousers.

"Not for you. Go and help Dain with the horses. They need to be shoed." A black bearded dwarf with baldhead warned.

"Why always me?"

"Stop whining and get going else I will pass you one. Didn't mother teach you to listen to your older brother?"

Gnail opened his mouth to protest.

"Move your asses and you lass get us some food for the day. **Quicky.**" Loki bellowed the last word.

Alice turned, rather gladly, and fled to the kitchen to fulfill the request. A few moments later she returned with several pieces of the roasted beef, with a loaf of bread and cheese packed together in fine linen. Filling a keg she let the proviant on the bar for the dwarfs to pick up.

"Good, good, lass. Now move on we have a long day ahead of us." Loki order "Let the lass and her virgin attitude to finish her cleaning." With a roguish laughter the doors closed behind them leaving Alice in the early morning stillness that settled on the inn after their departure.

She sighed and returned to the work. After the tables and floor cleaning, she would need to return to the kitchen and the poultry plucking, so she slowed down, after all that was one of the worst labors she had to do around here.

She couldn't get used to it, even if it was nearly two month she was stuck here. For a while she counted the days, as a past time anyway, but as it was increasingly clear, she would not return as she had before, she stopped. What was the point in it?

She was here in this small village that the villagers proudly called town without any sanitary precarity or even good infrastructure. Her bathing habits were horrifying as she stubbornly in the night warmed herself a bucket of water and on the japanese style washed herself in the kitchen. Marta after a while stopped persuading her she would get surely ill and only glared at her from time to time.

Alice got only more desperate.

It was suffocating to see day by day the same faces, she could recognize nearly everyone by now. She shuddered as she scrubbed the wet floor smelling of urine. She wasn't sure what was worse, the slow understanding of her situation or washing dwarven piss.

When the caravan from Minas Tirith will leave in a weeks time, she will be stuck here, with even fewer people, and when the novelty of her presence wears out, she will overstay her welcome. Of that, she was sure.

She wasn't one of them, it was clear, and she wouldn't want to be one of them - ever. It hurt her own pride to be counted as such. Oh, how she wanted to see even that arrogant git of a man Paul. She would hug him, if not more.

The sound of boots scraping the floors caught her attention and she watched as muddy boots left marks on her pristine floor.

"Girl, get us some stew." a calm, deep voice, like a murmur of a bear sounded through the room. She bristled for the first time in many a day. Girl, really, in this world she was nothing more just a girl, lass, or even missy. To think she has a degree...

Alice lifted her head, "I will ask if its ready." and caught the rangers sitting back in their usual spot. Their news of the abductions in the area made her curious, but as no one mentioned anything after the first time, she felt discouraged to ask. Apparently she was just a woman, and shouldn't know anything about it. Not that in the kitchens or on the washing days the women wouldn't talk about it - in hushed voices, cautious to not be overheard by the few children and even fewer girls.

And then it struck her, as she hurried past them to the kitchen. She knew something no one else did and maybe just maybe she could persuade the aloof men to take her from this sleepy village to the town. At least somewhere else away from here.

She would have to talk to them.

\- XXIV -

A strong pony stamped as Gnail bound him to the stale, his ears backwards, showing his teeth.

"Auvrean. Come help me. Hold this beasts leg. He is in a foul mood."

A man about thirty, obviously a smith occurred from behind the bellows, mopping his hands into a cowl. It was not long ago when he settled down here in Blackacre. Maybe three years or so, but still these dwarves didn't let him do his job. Of course, it was the same as the last year. What should he expect? Hold a leg, get the fire roaring, give me a stamp, but during the year do the job.

"Come, come." He patted the neck trying to avoid a bite, "Easy boy, easy..." as he leaned into the pony's shoulder to unstable him and then easily caught his hoof.

Alice watched waiting.

Gnail meanwhile skillfully gauged a breadth of the hoof, took twice length of iron and raised it into white. His maul and tongs did a beautiful work, curving the iron into a horseshoe. But still it was not done. With a chock he made a crease with small holes for the nags and the water sizzled as he sank the shoe into the barrel.

"So master dwarf do your work." Aurean huffed as the pony pushed at him. When finally finished the man turned to her with a smile. "What good do you have for luncheon?"

"Duck, pork and bean stew. Will you come, or should I bring you some?"

The Blackacre market was coming to an end in two days and everyone was still in a frenzy - there was still much to do, to buy more spices and cloths, to sell the last of the chickens or the pelts of wolves, to talk and laugh and drink and eat. Alice felt exhausted from dawn to dusk on her feet.

"I will come, Marta wanted me to sharpen her kitchen knives and here before I forgot. The dagger you wanted cleaned." Auvrean gave her the weapon. "You know such a weapon doesn't belong to girls like you."

"It was my brothers." Alice's brows knotted and she extended her hand to take it.

He waited looking at her, expectantly.

Her hand dropped to her side.

Alice shifted uncomfortably. Not that she really needed the weapon, she could easily throw it away, but somehow it reminded her of the man, and even if their connection was unpleasant, after all he saved her life, so to have something that would remind her of him was understandable, was it?

She could easily turn and leave without it, then again, this world was too frightening to be left without any protection. Right?

"I have few coins laid aside, how much do you want?" she said wearily. Most of the coin came from this weeks generous customers hands. She was loath to part with it.

He smiled finally. "It's nothing, take it." he offered it to her.

She took it cautiously, looking at him, her stomach clenching. She smiled back. "See you at the inn."

She definitely needed to get out of this village.

\- XXV -

The last evening before departure and Alice was agitated. How to approach them. They would surely leave tomorrow morning and her chance of escaping this village would be lost. She wrung her hands together, pacing in her room. She needed to take drastic measures.

Stopping mid stride Alice crouched down and took the bag from under her bed out searching for the hidden map there. There it was, warm leather under her fingers, she rolled the map into its fullest. Looking at it once again proved, there were few markings on it.

The first time she had missed them, surely because of her state of mind, but as she rolled and unrolled the map for the entire week debating with herself how to approach the rangers and persuade them to take her in, she found in the process two markings on the map. She could only speculate what that meant without any other information. But maybe the map and the story behind it would be enough to persuade them to take her somewhere more safe?

Re-rolling the map back, she stood. It was this evening or never it seemed.

Her steps halting she turned towards their room.

No one there, not even a bag, or a sword.

Alice panicked. What if they left?

Rushing down the steps she slowed. They were sitting down in their usual spot eating. Desperate times require desperate measures. With quick steps she crossed towards the kitchen, ignoring the few looks she got. Finding a piece of dried linen into which they wrapped bread was easy, to find a charcoal was more tricky as the hearth was still scorching hot.

Alice crouched and weighted one side of cloth with an iron and pulled on the other side to get it straight enough. Hoping that Marta wouldn't return to the kitchen as soon as she was finished pouring the ale, she started writing.

Satisfied it was eligible enough, she folded the linen and walked into the main room. Helping Marta with the kegs she took two and innocently enough crossed the room to meet the rangers.

\- XXVI -

They were quite satisfied with another round on the house as the girl, Alice was her name, turned with the pints. Only as she left to clean, they spotted the linen folded neatly next to the tankards. Curiosity piqued the ranger scratched his beard and took the linen. As it unfolded he raised his eyebrow, looking briefly at the girl behind the counter.

She didn't bat an eyelash as their eyes met.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

Phew. I know it took me so long to post another chapter. Three weeks. Please forgive me my good readers, yet the life seem to play tricks on me. First my computer broke down, then I have a festival to attend as I am responsible for a whole program section, afterwards it was a Wedding to attend to. In between I was trying to squeeze some writing in and have serious problems with the dialogues. So, I worked extra hard and tried not to rush it.

Anyway we have reached the next ARC of our story. The setting is already done. Now we are moving forward to the next part. Are you happy, excited? Me? I definitely am.

So go on read. And have fun.

**ARC II**

**C****hapter VII**

* * *

\- XXVII -

* * *

The Elven lord pierced her with his gaze, stripping away her protective layers of deception. On her cognitive level Alice knew that her life might be at stake, but the only thing she could focus on was the titillating feeling settling in her guts as his deep voice reverberated through her very core.

"Alice the Hare, could you kindly concentrate and recount - truthfully this time - the sequence of events that led you here?"

Alice the Hare?…sure I would be a bunny for him. She listened to her own thoughts in disbelief, how could the presence of these creatures has such a profound effect on her. Seriously? She held back a sigh and tried to concentrate.

"Well, I was just walking through a forest with my brother and suddenly… the wolves… giant wolves..." and she started to giggle involuntarily. So much for composure.

Absentminded, Alice pinched the bridge of her nose afterwards and breathed in forcefully calming herself. This was the result of her tattered nerves. From the moment she stepped through the boundaries of the city of Rivendell, until now, as she was sitting opposite several of the elves in the lavishly furnished room, she felt trapped.

Trapped by her own uncontrollable emotions.

Trapped by the beauty of these creatures.

Trapped… This whole environment was vexing. Calm… she had to remain calm. Alice envisioned herself in another interview. Yes she should take it as such. Nothing more and nothing less. She relaxed her posture and let her hands fall to her lap.

"You will believe me when I say I am not amused with your antics." the Lord of Imladris furrowed his brows at her behavior. A subtle threat replacing his kindness.

Alice stiffened. For the first time in the presence of the Lord and his court her heart sped with fear instead of bubbling excitement. Of course she hadn't behaved as a normal thinking person, more likely worse than a hormone driven teenager. "I apologize." She managed to mutter under her breath, as she thought up lies that would get her out of her predicament.

"I should start from the beginning then." Alice collected herself not moving an inch. This she was familiar with. Be poised, like on interview. Tell them, what they want to hear. Smile politely. Relax. Breathe.

"We were traveling from the north west, from Norbury. My brother and I were - I mean he was and I am still - scholars. We were on our way to Minas Tirith to further enhance our knowledge, when we found out about the peculiar disappearances. He wanted to investigate so we traveled through the Trollshaws when he was killed. So I decided to investigate." She breathed slowly out to steadying herself. She had confabulated thousand times before. It wouldn't be a problem now.

"I gathered information, listened in and investigated. It wasn't at all complicated to come up to conclusion. The clues were quite visible to anyone who wanted to know anyway." She straightened her back, willing her hands to relax by her side. She had to look persuasive but not intrusive.

It seemed the Lord listened tentatively to her words. Alice was sure she could pull this off. "I have uncovered a slaver ring. I have information about the whereabouts of their base of operations. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into it, as I was held back in the town of Blackacre, where I worked undercover as a maid . Only as the rangers passed by, I saw the opportunity to continue and relate my knowledge to the higher authorities.

"And now truthfully, my Lady", his patience was wearing ever thinner.

"What do you expect me to say? Why would I be lying?" Her composure held. Her voice inquisitive. Good, do not move, do not avert eyes, but do not challenge either. In this you are good. Stay calm. Lie.

"I am guessing you are entirely lost. Indeed, your ignorance is sufficiently profound to astonish even me." His disposition shifted from annoyance to irked curiosity.

"Pardon me?"

Elrond smiled, not unkindly this time. His curiosity was piqued. "I am slightly surprised that such a refined Lady doesn't know that the Kingdom of Arnor was destroyed more than 500 years ago? That no cities were reestablished in the North-West after the war and the lands lay barren from thereafter? So how come you came from the North-West of Norbury?"

Instead of replying her eyes went wide. Alice looked like a doe in headlights, poised to run on the first move of a predator.

This was entirely insane. How should she tell them the truth? Hello, I am from … from where anyway? Should she say Earth? What are they? Aliens, her hallucination or what? This was entirely their fault. Why they don't stop to be nosy and accept her version.

She frowned ready to make a curt retort and stopped.

"What is this the first time someone sees through your inept deception?" the Lord pierced her with his gaze still smiling.

She felt at a loss how to reply. If she bristled, it would only serve to his satisfaction and confirm his theory, if she would try to explain herself, she would look like a fool. So she stayed stubbornly silent.

No one moved, nor spoke.

Finally, she sighed, lying her head against the back of the chair, her emotions firmly locked under a key.

With the rangers it was definitely different, easier even.

* * *

\- XXVIII -

* * *

Alice waited in her room, impatiently. It was well past dark and the inn had closed for the night. Was her message unreadable? Maybe the rangers thought it was a trap. But, it would be silly, really - for them she was just a maid, girl, lass. Not even a full grown woman.

She was well aware, that was the impression she have had on the men, even people in general. Her height and her slim built made her look girlish. It didn't help she felt most of the time awkward in her body. Always the highest in her class. Surely, these were the remnant scars of her high school life, she knew that. To overcome the feelings, that was entirely a different story.

A knock and she whirled around to open the door.

There they stood on the darkened background of the hall looking intimidating.

She let them pass into her small room and softly closed the door behind them. There was no time for doubting herself or contemplating her own inability to cope with her own body. The sense of urgentness once again filled her with anticipation. In her restlessness, she didn't sit down, rather walked from wall to door and back to calm her nerves, looking at her visitors who stood calmly near the bed.

"I am glad you came." she stopped in her pacing and finally spoke in a soft voice, afraid to modulate it higher, lest they will discern her frustration, her desire to flee this place and see through her.

"My Lady." the bearded ranger bowed slightly leaving Alice flustered as she hastily covered it with a greeting of her own.

So now it is My Lady. How fortunate, not many people around here can read and write, with her education she had an advantage of that she was now sure.

She caught a movement from the corner of her eye. The other ranger leaned against the wall, his hood covering his face, silent, observing. He would be the judge of her, Alice concluded.

"My Lady, what information do you have for us that you left a message so hastily? Why not to approach as earlier?" the bearded ranger caught her attention back from his companion.

"I wasn't sure how to approach such formidable men." Alice smiled shyly, at least she hoped so. Her next moves will decide her nearest future. She couldn't afford to make a mistake. She had to be perfect.

"I presume, you know my story. Of course, for practical reasons and not to let the town people to spread it around, I couldn't say that me and my brother were , I took it upon myself, to take the maid's position in the inn, to learn more about the happenings in the region."

"Oh, my Lady is a spy?" the ranger said sceptically.

On this she laughed heartily. "No, no, of course not. How could I be." She swept her hand at herself as to heighten her denial. Oh please, let them to believe. She smiled sadly. "My brother was an apt observer and that had cost him his life", and then she sighed muttering sadly to herself: "The wheel is come full circle."

The hooded ranger arched his brow at her antics.

Stirring herself, like from a sad feeling Alice added more strongly "I am sorry, the memory of him is still fresh in me."

The man, in front of her, was taken aback. "I grieve with you, my Lady, but we came here on your request."

Alice tried to look accordingly sad.

"You were investigating the disappearances, and well, you are well respected and surely could bring me to the authority, where I can disclose the full case, so I approached you. It would sadden me and would do no honour to my brother, if I idly stayed behind, while others suffer, when I have some answers to the plight. Is it not true?" Alice looked pleadingly at the face of the bearded ranger.

"Certainly, my Lady." the ranger inclined his head.

"So I ask, I hope, I am not too bold, if you are looking at the disappearances?" Alice lowered her voice, as if afraid someone would overhear. "I didn't dare to ask anywhere else. My room is at the back, so no one should overhear us talking."

The bearded man looked thoughtful, measuring her with his eyes, assessing. "We are rangers, not law enforcers, my Lady."

Alice was frustrated. "I know that. Yet, you took upon yourself to come here. You want the information, I posses. So, I ask again, are you looking into the predicament or not?"

Instead of replying, the man leaning against the wall, countered. His voice curt, but cutting. "What do you know, my Lady? Tell us and be assured, we will do your brother honour."

Oh, they were stalling all her pursuits. As she pushed they pushed back. The impasse drove her crazy. She had to bluff, else they will leave her here.

Alice looked to the man leaning against the wall. "The kidnapper uses a tonic, a horribly smelling draught that he makes the victims to drink. And thats all, what I will disclose now. If I told you everything, you would leave me behind, would you not? I can't stay here. This is not my place, nor my wish. My welcome here is overdue", her voice was soft, but steady.

"Take me to the nearest city, and I will tell you or the authority you choose, everything I know" she added almost pleadingly.

The rangers fell silent.

"Nothing?" Her frustration welled up in her like a wave.

"Well then, I will set out on my own. Honestly, I doubt that a duo of indecisive idiots like you could take out a ring of slavers anyway."

The hooded man looked angry. "Insulting, will bring you nothing, my Lady." he barked.

"Well, I'm out" she grabbed her belongings and headed out into the night in a huff. This had worked on men every single time before, she hoped, it will work on these two as well. She didn't need to even pretend her agitation.

As she passed the man, a hand grabbed her shoulder, squeezing.

"Unhand me, now!"

"Do not squirm woman." his voice was dangerous and his fingers would leave a bruise on her shoulder come morning. Then he turned her around pushing her into the direction of her bed.

"We are leaving at dawn. Then, you will have a chance to present your knowledge to someone … more competent. Do not dawdle." And the rangers were out off her door, giving her one last gloomy glance over the shoulder.

* * *

\- XXIX -

* * *

Come morning, Alice was ready. Marta and Tom were surprised by her decision, then dumbfounded by her once again invented explanation. Alice expected it, they were kind, but simple people. She liked them very much. In these past two months they became her new family, yet Alice felt it was time to move on.

"Why didn't you told us?" Marta choked out.

Alice smiled, sadly. "What difference would it make? You took me in, gave me a fair treatment and an opportunity to earn my living. It was more, than anyone else would do for me. For that, I am grateful," and she hugged her in gratitude.

"Oh girl… you can stay here. You mustn't go." Marta breathed out, squeezing her harder.

Collecting herself, Alice straightened, once again thanked for all their kindness and looked as the older woman packed her an extra bread and cheese for her journey. She felt surprisingly unconcerned about leaving these people behind.

Her backpack was light and this added weight hadn't bothered her at all. Extra food is, as she found out the hard way, always welcome. Then it was to a quick goodbyes. The rangers, ready, impatiently waited for her to leave the innkeepers sides. As they walked out of the door, through the yard and main gates, at the last moment, she stopped them.

"Can you at least tell me your names?" the rangers turned to her, their cloaks dusting the ground.

"My Lady?"

"It will make the five days journey easier."

"Hador and Breon, now move on. If we want to reach Rivendell by the fifth day, we have to make a good pace." Breon the bearded man with a constitution of a bear answered politely her question. The other one didn't even acknowledge her properly. He seemed to be still insulted. Really, a petty behaviour.

Alice would like to ask more. What Rivendell was, where they will sleep and how they had planned their journey, but she could tell - their travel would be a silent one. Hopefully, it would be better than the one with the kidnapper.

Weighting her backpack on her shoulder, she moved on following their steps, never looking back.

* * *

\- XXX -

* * *

They were on their way.

The town was far behind them and the road spread itself in front of them like a snake. She tried to start a conversation few times, when they stopped for a quick respire, but it was obviously useless - both of the rangers kept their more or less polite distance. So, she let it slide, listening to the sound of nature. Yet, for her, after living her entire life in the buzzing city, it was like walking through a different kind of silence. It wasn't unpleasant - no, but it left too much space for thinking about her situation and her recent actions.

Alice knew that it was unavoidable. Her thoughts returned in circles to one and the same thought. She was lying - a lot. She knew it. But it saved her,did it not? Maybe it wasn't fair when it came to Andrea, but here in this world she hadn't have any other chance, did she? Before this ordeal, she thought of herself as a decent person. Never lied, not exactly anyway. The white little lies didn't hurt anyone, more likely they helped her to avoid unnecessary unpleasantness. That was the truth. It wasn't like she was hiding or avoiding the confrontation. She just by stepped it.

Andrea, on the other hand, could get from her some explanations, rather than what she had told her, before she ended up here, two months ago. The woman had wanted to help her, hadn't she? Alice frowned returning in her memories back to their conversations:

_Andrea opened her door letting Alice in. The morning was still crisp, yet they both felt the weather would be scorching hot in few hours. Coffee in hand, still steaming hot, she delicately sipped on it, feeling content for a while._

"_Sit down." Andrea urged her to her round table in her lavishly furnished living room. It looked more like a cozy oriental harem section of one or another famous sultan's palaces. Cushions of many colors littered the long threaded oriental carpet. A divan in vibrant red was pushed against a wall, in front of it an expensively looking coffee table on curved legs. They sat behind a round ebony table inlaid with a mosaic in the middle of the room. A fragrance of incense wafted to her. It wasn't at all unpleasant. _

_Andrea sat comfortably opposite her, her turquoise robe bunching around her mid thighs showing her shapy well muscled legs. She looked like she belonged into this place she created for herself, or to another time past gone. Alice looked at her, lost in her own contemplative mood. _

"_Alice, if you are tired go rest on the ottoman." _

_She jerked out of her reverie. "Sorry, sorry. I am still out. I think the pills make me sleepy. The doctor gave me something strong."_

"_You should talk to him then. " Andrea frowned shuffling her cards. "Now, to the reading. I think we can sort things out for you, when you want."_

_Alice sighed inwardly. She wasn't really into this. More likely she didn't believe a damn about the reading, but as she was here, she couldn't tell her outright, could she? Andrea could get insulted and then their friendly relationship would be in jeopardy, wouldn't be? So, let the ordeal begin._

_Alice smiled. "Yes, but I have to tell you this is my first time.I have no idea what to do."_

"_Relax, close your eyes and slowly breathe in, then out. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Let yourself to be rooted to the earth. Imagine it. And breathe in, and out, feel the connection to the mother earth. Feel the warmth…" _

_Alice actually relaxed. Andrea's voice was low, hypnotizing, she breathed in, imagining how her feet took root into the earth. Or maybe the pills did the job, she thought distractedly as she listened further in._

"_Breathe in, relax, breath out, and now think of a question you want to ask. Think deeply, have it on your mind all the time. Feel it in you. You want to know the answer. Now open your eyes."_

_Andrea had laid all the cards in front of them. "Do not let your question slip your mind. Do not talk to me. Just concentrate and turn ten cards. Let yourself to be guided." _

_Her voice lulled her to comply. Alice turned the cards, slowly, one by one. It felt strange, almost as someone had guided her to turn the cards. As she finished, she looked expectantly up._

_Andrea was frowning at the cards as she put them into a correct order. "Tell me what your question was?"_

_Alice hesitated. She couldn't tell her the truth, so she lied. "I was asking about my job." _

"_Really?" Andrea looked at the cards once again. On the position of her outcome sat Ten of swords and the future occupied King of Wands. "Didn't you ask about your future?" _

"_Maybe I wasn't that specific about my job." Alice wouldn't get past her lips she thought about the events that happened to her. Andrea would be nosy, if anything else._

_The woman opposite her didn't look persuaded. The whole reading all together was unclear - great conflict opposite to help. Too many contradictory cards. Her present and future looked turbulent. And the outcome, indecisive or too defined? She would have to think more about it. Maybe a three card reading would be clearer? Alice had to help. She should tell the truth, from the truth they could rebuild her back to her self._

_Andrea leaned closer. "So you want to know about your future?"_

"_Is it so uncommon?"_

"_Most people ask specific questions. Did you ask one?"_

"_I asked about the job." Alice answered coolly._

"_A second ago, you told me you wanted a future reading?"_

"_Isn't it the same?"_

"_These cards don't lie. Do you know what this one means?" Andrea fingered the corner of the Tower card in the slot reserved for goals and destiny. "It warns you, that your goals hang on a thread. Loss and ruin, Alice. If, you do not do what is right it will bring destruction to you. So, tell me what was the question. I can help you to find your past few weeks you looked jaded." _

_Andrea's voice was hypnotic, persuading her, coaxing her to tell her the truth. And then Alice closed herself down., feigning indifference. Yes, she was curious, but she will not allow the woman to use her tricks. _

_Andrea continued. "Do you want to know the outcome? What about these two kings, could they be your lovers? A good friends?" She teased. "One could be accepting, the other lets say more…."_

"_I don't want to hear it. I am going back… Alice stood abruptly. In her haste, she overturned the porcelain cup and its reminding content spilled on the cards. _

"_No, no, no…." and she was under the scorching sun on the plains, here in this strange world._

Now on the path to the city of Rivendell, she came to no conclusion whatsoever. She wasn't that insufferable. Obstinate, yes. But that was expected. She wouldn't told the truth - not to a neighbour, she knew only casually.

As she thought about it,she wouldn't tell the truth to anyone. Not here, nor back home. They would think she was in serious need of psychiatric counselling. And she didn't feel insane, did she? She had too many questions and no answers. When she had had work to do, she hadn't had time to think these mind exhausting things.

It was too overwhelming.

She stopped thinking about it.

There would be time, later.

* * *

\- XXXI -

* * *

Alice covered her eyes, as the sun set down on the horizon blinding her. She was feeling happy, they were nearing their end of the journey. It was the afternoon of the fifth day and she was expectant, yet somehow uneasy as she felt dirty and sweaty. To be precise, the nature got under her skin and not in the good way. The dirts was behind her nails, in her shoes, under her dress. She wanted to scratch her head every five seconds. It was infuriating and even though she wasn't prone to outbursts, she was reaching her limit of endurance.

She needed a shower and a good night sleep.

The first day, her feet had hurt, badly, the second day it had turned to permanent ache and now she thought she would be unable to make another step. Her whole body buzzed with exhaustion, warmth spreading into her muscles every time they stopped for a break.

But this was the minor problem of her existence, right now.

As the horizon had blackened, the first night out, panic had started to settle in. With the dark had come the memories and with the memories had come fear.

Wolves.

What if they would come.

What if they would charge when she slept on the ground. Maybe she should climb and sleep in the trees. But the rangers were here. They would protect her. She hoped at least so. And it would be silly, anyway. So she stayed put, wrapping herself into her cloak protectively.

That hadn't helped.

Most of the night, even though the rangers had taken turns by the fire to guard, she hadn't slept at all. The following nights had been long and the days even longer. Thus, it wasn't unexpected she felt run down and that was a mild term to put it.

The roaring of the water returned her to present.

"Bruinen!" Breon exclaimed. "We have to cross the ford to enter the lands of Rivendell."

"Thank God," Alice muttered under her breath. "Is it far to the city then?"

"No, only several hours pass the ford, my Lady."

They began to walk again.

* * *

**A/N:  
**So, I am finished with this chapter and now I need your advice:

Should Elrond grill her more or not? I would say yes. What is your opinion? As you can read there was a court... who should be in it? Wink, wink.

And if you have some experience with card reading that will be quite a help. I worked on it hard, I chose the cards carefully according their meaning, but I am still not sure I did a good job. So advice and suggestions are very much appreciated.

If you are curious about the message Alice wrote on the linen here it is:

I have information about the abductions.  
Meet me upstairs after the inn closes. Alice

**Citation:  
**"The wheel has come full circle." William Shakespear

**References:  
**Lotr map: wiki/Fornost, .fi/jumppa/Atlas_of_Middle-earth_-_maps/misty_  
Card reading: .com


End file.
